The Celtics had a chance to close out the 76ers on their home floor, but ultimately weren't able to do the job.
The Boston Celtics suffered a second consecutive bad loss at home on Tuesday night, failing to close out the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first round.
The Celtics still lead the series 3-2, but they've dropped two straight games at TD Garden and now need to go back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Thursday night.
The Celtics are trying to get the Eastern Conference semis for the ninth time in the last 10 years.
Here's what you need to know from the 113-97 loss.
Fourth quarter failure looms large
The Celtics were up by one heading into the fourth quarter, but they were then outscored 28-11 in the final stanza, the kind of blitz you rarely see against a Joe Mazzulla-led team.
Philadelphia's 17-point difference was shocking, and Philly won the won the second half by 22 points in total.
Inside the numbers
--After scoring a game-high 32 points in Game 5, Payton Pritchard scored just 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Beyond him, the rest of the support staff struggled as well: Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta had just eight points, while Derrick White had six, continuing to struggle from the floor.
--It wasn't just White though: The Celtics were just 40 percent from the floor (36-of-89) and 28 percent from three-point range (11-of-39). Furthermore, they were only 14-of-23 from the foul line (61 percent).
--The Celtics out-rebounded Philly, but only by two, and they also committed three more turnovers.
--Jayson Tatum led the way with 24 points while Jaylen Brown had 22. Those two and Pritchard were the only Celtics in double-figures.
--On the other side, Joel Embiid (appendectomy) played for the second straight game. He had 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting while adding four rebounds and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and 10 rebounds while Paul George had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) after the game against the Boston Celtics in game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. David Butler II-Imagn Images--Quentin Grimes had 18 points off the bench, also hitting four 3-pointers.
--Philly hit 20 foul shots, shooting 87 percent at the line.
About Game 6
The game time and broadcast network have not been revealed yet. The league is likely waiting for the results from other games and other series to see which windows are open and need to be filled.
The Celtics have played the 76ers in 22 different playoff series and own a 15-7 record. They've won the last six to this point.
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