Why Joel Embiid’s resurgence gives the 76ers chance to beat Boston

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Why Joel Embiid’s resurgence gives the 76ers chance to beat Boston

Troy Finnegan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Apr 29, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The Philadelphia 76ers looked as good as gone after Game 4 against the Boston Celtics . The No. 2 seed went into Philadelphia and put its foot down with a blowout win to take a 3-1 lead heading back to Boston, seeming poised to close things out.

On Tuesday night, Joel Embiid channeled his inner Lee Corso and told the Celtics, “not so fast my friend.” The superstar big man turned back the clock and put together a vintage performance: 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting with eight assists in 39 minutes. He was impactful on both sides of the floor and was a major part of a dominant fourth quarter that helped the Sixers keep their season going with a 113-97 win.

Now, the series is at 3-2 heading back to Philly for Game 6. While it’s still a long road back for Embiid and the 76ers, they are right back in the series with a home game to even things up and force Boston into what would be a very uncomfortable Game 7.

The Sixers are 1-1 with Embiid on the floor in this series after he returned from emergency appendectomy surgery, making his Game 5 masterpiece even more impressive. But is his return enough to pull off what would be a historic upset? Here’s why he gives Philly a puncher’s chance to complete the comeback.

Celtics have a major weakness inside

This is a great Celtics team, especially with Jayson Tatum back and playing well after returning from his Achilles injury. Tatum and Jaylen Brown form one of the best star duos in the league, and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard make a strong backcourt on both ends of the floor.

However, center has been a massive issue for the Celtics all season. Boston tried to address that by trading for Nikola Vucevic , but he hasn’t seen a ton of minutes lately because of defensive reasons. Neemias Queta is the better defender on the interior, but he is very limited offensively.

While the combination of Queta and Vucevic has been serviceable enough for most of this season, it may not be good enough to slow down a superstar like Embiid if he is feeling healthy and in a good rhythm. That was on full display in Game 5, when Embiid made 12 shots and all of them came inside the arc . He was active and able to get to his spots against either big man, even forcing double teams where he can use his playmaking ability to find the open man.

Having Embiid on the court, especially if he can go 39 minutes like he did in Game 5, gives the 76ers a constant advantage on the inside on both ends of the floor. He deters the Celtics from getting to the rim while imposing his will inside offensively, which can keep the Sixers in these games.

Embiid isn’t a one-man show

The 76ers struggled with injuries throughout the season, including to Embiid, leading to a drop in the standings over time. However, Philly now has all of its main guys back on the floor. As a result, this isn’t your usual No. 7 seed. The 76ers have a true superstar at guard in Tyrese Maxey , an emerging star in VJ Edgecombe , and a veteran who can still light it up in Paul George .

When Embiid is on and feeling good, he can be the rock for this 76ers team. He is the easy button that they can go to on the inside when they need a basket while being their rock defensively. But what makes this Philly team dangerous when he is on the floor is the other options it can go to.

Maxey is a legitimate All-NBA player that can go for 40 points on any given night. In Game 5, he finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds on just 18 shots. Edgecombe has also had some huge games as a rookie, including a 30-point, 10-rebound game in Game 2 of this series.

Without Embiid, the whole operation kind of falls apart for the 76ers, and they can’t exploit the weaknesses that Boston has on the inside. However, when he is on the floor, this is a 76ers team that has the talent to pull off the all-time comeback.

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