Joel Embiid turned in a fantastic Game 5 performance and the Sixers kept their season alive Tuesday night by beating the Celtics.

BOSTON — It looked a lot like they imagined it would, once upon a time. Joel Embiid was scoring buckets and drawing crowds. Tyrese Maxey was zigging and zagging through the resulting alleyways. Paul George was knocking down threes and playing ironman minutes of solid defense.

The Celtics took the 76ers' best punches in the first three quarters of their Game 5 matchup with Philadelphia. Then everything fell apart for Boston. The Celtics carried an 86-85 lead into the final period before being outscored 28-11 over the final 12 minutes of their 113-97 loss Tuesday night.

The Sixers’ franchise star turned in a massive performance in this one. Embiid struggled to find his range early in the game, going 0-for-5 from the three in the first half. He didn’t let that deter his confidence as he dominated in the post and mid-range all night long.

Embiid returned to 'Process' form only 19 days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. His 33 points and eight assists helped staved off elimination to send the series back to Philly.

Joel Embiid scored 33 points and dished eight assists to lead the Sixers to a comeback victory over the Boston Celtics to stay alive and send the series back to Philadelphia.

The Sixers are once again in a familiar place. After a 128–96 loss to the Celtics in Game 4, they now face elimination in their first-round series. As reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia, head coach Nick Nurse pointed to the team’s inconsistency,

Joel Embiid, not even three weeks removed from an appendectomy, is probably not going to make up a meaningful portion of the difference between the Sixers and Boston Celtics. Game 5 is on Tuesday night in Boston,