Celtics vs. 76ers score: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey lead Philadelphia to road win in Boston, 3-2 series lead

Philadelphia is one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals

The Philadelphia 76ers went on the road and stunned the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night, 115-103. After this comprehensive performance, the Sixers suddenly have a 3-2 lead and will have a chance to close out the series at home on Thursday in Game 6.

Joel Embiid started the game with a desperation heave to beat the shot clock which bounced off the front rim, went into the air and came down through the net. The Sixers took that bit of good fortune and never looked back. They led for nearly the entire game and spent all but a few seconds of the second half up by double digits.

That was thanks in large part to Embiid, who went for 33 points and seven rebounds, but he had plenty of help in this one. Tyrese Maxey dropped 30 points of his own, James Harden just missed a triple-double with 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists and Tobias Harris added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Even Danuel House, who had barely played in the series, chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.

The Celtics got 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists from Jayson Tatum and 24 points from Jaylen Brown, but no one else came along for the ride. As a team, they shot 39.8 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from 3-point land, and those numbers were even worse before some cheap garbage time buckets. 

Here are some key takeaways from the game:

Tyrese Maxey comes up clutch

The Sixers evened the series in Game 4 thanks almost entirely to Joel Embiid and James Harden, but while those two are some of the best offensive talents of this era, it's not sustainable to rely on two players every single night. At some point, someone else on the Sixers was going to have to step up; Tyrese Maxey did just that on Tuesday night.

While Embiid and Harden both played well, Maxey was the real difference-maker. He poured in 30 points and added seven points and three assists on 10-of-21 from the field and 6-of-12 from 3-point land. In the last three games of this series combined, he had 30 points on 16-of-47. 

Maxey also hit one of the biggest shots of the game, a 3-pointer with 9:24 remaining that sucked the life out of the crowd. The Celtics had cut the deficit down to 11 and were building up some momentum to perhaps make another furious fourth-quarter comeback, but Maxey drained a cold-blooded 3 to make it 14 again. The Celtics never mustered up the energy for another serious push. 

Celtics have disastrous offensive showing

The Celtics were one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, but you would not have known from watching Game 5. They weren't just below their standards, they were woeful, turning in one of their worst efforts on that side of the ball all year. 

They were 33-of-83 from the field overall, 12-of-38 from 3-point land and 25-of-34 from the free throw line, and those numbers were only even that good because of a fruitful garbage time. Their 39.8 percent field goal percentage was their sixth-worst mark all season, their 31.8 percent showing from downtown was tied for their worst of the playoffs and the nine missed free throws were a season-high. 

The Sixers' defense certainly played a part in the Celtics' off-night; Joel Embiid, in particular, was destructive at the rim. But they also just missed a ton of shots they would normally make, whether it was wide-open 3-pointers or easy looks in the paint. This kind of rough shooting night is where blowing Game 1 really comes back to bite them. 

Sixers on the brink of first conference finals since 2001

The Sixers have had plenty of regular season success in the past few decades, and especially since Joel Embiid established himself as a franchise player, but they've never been able to translate it into deep playoff runs, for a myriad of reasons. Now, finally, it may be their time. 

They are one win away from their first conference finals appearance since 2001, when Allen Iverson led them to the Finals. Since then, they've made the playoffs in 13 of 22 seasons, but have won just seven series and never made it past the second round. 

History says they will get there. When series are tied 2-2, as this one was, the team that wins Game 5 is 187-41 all time. That doesn't mean the Sixers' work is done -- the Celtics came back from a 3-2 deficit after losing Game 5 at home in the second round last season -- but the series is now in their hands. 

[May 9, 2023 at 9:45 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Disatrous Celtics offensive performance

The Celtics picked a horrible time to have one of their worst offensive performances of the season. In the regular season and playoffs combined, their worst overall shooting performance was 34.8 percent and their worst 3-point performance was 21.4 percent. Tonight, they're at 38.4 percent overall and 28.1 percent from deep. The Sixers' defense has had something to say about that, but they've also just missed shots

[May 9, 2023 at 9:32 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Sixers hitting timely 3s

The Celtics briefly got the crowd into the game by cutting the deficit to 12, but the Sixers responded with a couple of timely 3-pointers from Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid and now they're back up by 17 again. With just 8:31 left, it's getting close to the point where the Celtics may think about packing things and resting some legs for Game 6

[May 9, 2023 at 9:22 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Third quarter: Sixers 88 -- Celtics 72

Boos ring out at TD Garden as the Sixers dominate the third quarter to build a 16-point lead heading into the fourth. Just a comprehensive performance from the Sixers. They're shooting well at all three levels, getting to the free throw line, taking care of the ball and doing enough defensively to slow down the Celtics' potent attack. 

Joel Embiid has 29 points to lead the way, while James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris have combined for 51 to supplement the big man. 

Jayson Tatum has 31 points to lead all scorers, but Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart have only combined for 25 and no one else is in double figures for the Celtics

[May 9, 2023 at 9:15 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

This one is starting to feel over

The Sixers are completely controlling this game and it's starting to feel over. They're up 16 and getting contributions from all over the roster: Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris all have at least 15 points and they're getting easy looks time and again. Even if the Celtics start hitting a few shots, it's hard to see them scoring enough to overcome the Sixers at this point

[May 9, 2023 at 9:04 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Sixers still in control

The Sixers continue to keep the Celtics at an arm's length, which may end up being enough given how poorly the Celtics continue to shoot. They're 17-49 overall and 6-25 from 3-point land, which puts them on pace for one of their worst offensive performances of the season. They've shot 25 percent or worse from beyond the arc just four times in the regular season and playoffs

[May 9, 2023 at 8:38 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Halftime: Sixers 58 -- Celtics 49

The Sixers have been super impressive and controlled the entire first half, much like they did in Game 4. However, just like that game, the Celtics have done just enough to hang around tonight and are certainly not out of it. 

Joel Embiid has not shot the ball super well, but he's been living at the free throw line and has 21 points already to go along with five rebounds. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey have stepped up in a major way and have combined for 23 points and 14 rebounds to give the Sixers a real boost. 

Jayson Tatum has also struggled from the field but gotten plenty of free throws, and he has 15 points, five rebounds and three assists to lead the Celtics. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are the only other players in double figures with 10 each. As a team, the Celtics are 5-19 from 3-point land.