Jayson Tatum tips cap to Joel Embiid after Celtics Game 5 defeat

BOSTON — To start Game 5, it looked like Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid still wasn't ready for playoff basketball. In just his second game back since undergoing an appendectomy in early April, the 2023 league MVP missed 5 of his first 6 shots. However, he came alive in the second half, and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum pointed to him as a reason why the Green Team fell 113-97 on Tuesday night at TD Garden. "Give him credit, he played well," Tatum said before wrapping up his postgame press conference. "He put a lot of pressure on us, especially on the defensive end." Embiid notched 18 points in the final 24 minutes of the contest, shooting 70 percent from the field while appearing relatively unbothered by any of Boston's big men. He finished with a game-high 33 points and also contributed a game-high 8 assists in almost 39 minutes of play. Tatum put together a decent game as well with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. However, collectively, the Celtics couldn't stop Embiid as they had in Game 4. And to make matters even worse, their offense froze down the stretch. Every possession seemed like a struggle and Boston ended up with just 11 points in the fourth quarter (by far its lowest in a single quarter this postseason) after missing its final 16 field goal attempts of the night. "We'll go back and watch the film and make some adjustments and be ready for Game 6," Tatum said in the wake of the 76ers staving off elimination to make the series 3-2. Since the Celtics' offense was faulty, they could never develop a true rhythm and force the Sixers to run, which is exactly what Embiid *doesn't* want to do a few weeks removed from surgery. "We could have played a bit a bit faster," Celtics star Jaylen Brown admitted. Although the Celtics led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, they could never achieve true separation. Turnovers, fouls, and bricks aplenty from beyond the arc got in their way. "There's a human element part of it," Tatum described of the loss. "We're not perfect. After each game, a win or a loss, there are a lot of things that we look back on and talk about that we can be better at. And tonight's no different." Following the double-digit defeat, the Celtics are 1-2 at home this postseason. They did win Games 3 and 4 on the road, though, and they'll aim to keep that streak going for Game 6 in Philadelphia on Thursday night. "We got to make sure we come out with the right energy, the right mindset, the right mentality on the road in Philadelphia," Brown said. "So that's what I'm looking forward to." Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Blue Wire:  iTunes:  YouTube:  *This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: *