Celtics, Spurs chase Tuesday closeouts
- Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston 113-97 on Tuesday night, denying the Celtics a first-round closeout and extending the series to Game 6. - Embiid scored 33 points, Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Boston managed only 11 fourth-quarter points in its home loss. - San Antonio still had its own closeout shot later Tuesday, up 3-1 on Portland after surviving Victor Wembanyama’s concussion absence. (nba.com)
Boston’s first chance to finish off Philadelphia is gone. Joel Embiid and the 76ers beat the Celtics 113-97 on Tuesday night to force a Game 6. (nba.com) (espn.com) Embiid scored 33 points, and Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia. Boston, the No. 2 seed in the East, still leads the series 3-2. (espn.com) (nba.com) The Celtics led 57-50 at halftime before the game flipped. Philadelphia won the second half 63-40, and Boston scored only 11 points in the fourth quarter at TD Garden. (espn.com) That result changed the shape of Tuesday’s playoff slate. Instead of joining Oklahoma City in the second round, Boston now heads back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Thursday, April 30. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) San Antonio still had the other Tuesday closeout chance. The Spurs entered Game 5 against Portland with a 3-1 series lead in the West after winning Games 3 and 4 by 12 and 21 points. (nba.com) (espn.com) The Spurs’ position looked stronger because Victor Wembanyama was back in the series after a concussion in Game 2. NBA.com said San Antonio had already won once without him and once after folding him back into the lineup. (nba.com) San Antonio finished 62-20 in the regular season, the West’s No. 2 seed, while Portland entered the playoffs at 42-40. The winner of that series was lined up to face either Minnesota or Denver in the conference semifinals. (espn.com) (nba.com) So the Tuesday story split in two. Philadelphia bought itself another flight home, and San Antonio still had a chance to make sure only one No. 2 seed stumbled. (espn.com) (nba.com)
