Instant observations: Joel Embiid drops 33 points in Sixers’ Game 5 win over Celtics

Here’s what I saw. Embiid and the Sixers fight back Tasked with trying to keep their season alive in Boston, the Sixers had a few thoughtful changes to the game plan on Tuesday night. For starters, Paul George was a focal point of their offense in the opening minutes, with the Sixers trying to capitalize on the excellent shooting touch he has shown all series.

George had more three-point attempts at the midway point of the second quarter than he had for the duration of Game 4, and he hit his first two, ensuring that Boston would have to hug him tight on the perimeter. On the other end of the floor, Philadelphia played with a better level of effort, certainly, but the Sixers also offered a clear adjustment to try to combat Boston’s rebounding outburst in Game 4. Nurse used Joel Embiid in the deepest drop they’ve probably played all season, and to Philadelphia’s credit, they did far better at clearing the porch on Boston misses.

For a while, they hung around against the higher-seeded team, lending some hope that they might be able to steal one and send this series back to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the guy who returned from appendix surgery after a little over two weeks struggled mightily to find himself on offense in the first half. Embiid’s early shot diet was basically all pick-and-pop jumpers, with the big man hoisting trail three after trail three as the Celtics dared him to make shots.

You’re put in a difficult spot when this happens — you can’t just fully abandon open jumpers with the Celtics already playing drop coverage, as it only incentivizes them to play further back and perpetuate the cycle. But the Sixers’ offense withered away and died for stretches of the first half. Even his usually reliable midrange jumper went awry against Boston, causing uncertainty in the big man and, by extension, the rest of the team.