The Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday moved to within one win of a series victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs as the Denver Nuggets thrashed the Phoenix Suns to edge closer to a place in the conference finals.
A towering performance in Boston from NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid helped the Sixers power to a 115-103 victory over the Celtics to stun the home fans into silence.
The result gives the Sixers a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, meaning if they win Game 6 back in Philadelphia today, they will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Photo: Bob DeChiara-USA Today
In the Western Conference, the top-seeded Nuggets are also in the driving seat against Phoenix after pummeling the Suns 118-102 in Denver, Colorado.
Denver star Nikola Jokic finished with a 29-point triple-double for a win that leaves the Nuggets 3-2 up in the series, with Game 6 in Arizona today.
The Sixers are likely to be brimming with confidence after an assured Game 5 display.
Embiid led the scoring with 33 points in a superbly balanced Sixers offensive performance, with five players finishing in double figures.
Tyrese Maxey tormented the Celtics with 30 points, including six three-pointers, while point guard James Harden was a constant thorn in the side of the Celtics, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
“I thought Joel did a great job of shooting when he needed to shoot and passing when he needed to pass,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said.
“Our composure overall was good. You know they’re going to make shots, they’re going to make runs. That team is tough, and you’ve got to breathe through it. I thought our guys did that,” he said.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla was left ruing what he described as his team’s worst performance of the post-season.
“Doesn’t come at necessarily the best time, but we just need to shift perspective and get ready for the next game,” he said.
In Denver, Jokic finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Nuggets’ scorers, while Michael Porter Jr had 19 points, including five three-pointers.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 28 points, while Kevin Durant finished with 26.
“We didn’t play any defense in the two games we lost in Phoenix,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “When we’re not running and we’re not defending, we’re going nowhere, and that’s what we’ll have to do in Game 6 if we’re going to close this series out.”
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