Joel Embiid keeps 76ers alive with massive Game 5 effort

Joel Embiid isn't fully recovered from his appendectomy 19 days ago. A limited Embiid was good enough to stave off elimination for the Philadelphia 76ers in their 113-97 win over the Boston Celtics.

Embiid scored 33 points and had eight assists as the 76ers forced a Game 6 home in Philly with a strong defensive effort. The high-scoring Celtics were held under 100 points for the second time in this series, both losses.

Joel Embiid fought through fatigue to get Philadelphia 76ers a win

It was unclear if Embiid would play in this series at all after a bout of appendicitis forced him to undergo surgery April 9, just three days before the end of the season. Certainly no one expected Embiid to log 39 minutes in a win-or-go-home game for his team, one where he shot 12-of-18 on two-pointers and went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

Despite Embiid's reputation for being injury-prone, he has regularly attempted to play through playoff injuries, whether it's a fractured orbital bone, various knee injuries, Bell's palsy or this season's appendix recovery. Just over two weeks after his surgery, Embiid had 26 points and 10 boards in Philly's 128-96 Game 4 loss, then seemed to get stronger as Game 5 went on.

Embiid missed all five off his three-point attempts before halftime, then focused all his attention inside during a dominant second half. He shot 7-of-10, scored 18 points and added three assists against only a single turnover as the Sixers outscored the Celtics by 23 points in the second half. It was his eighth playoff game with 30-plus points against Boston.