Joel Embiid’s 33 Points Lift 76ers Vs Celtics Into Game 6

Joel Embiid’s 33-point Game 5 put 76ers vs celtics back on center stage for a must-win Game 6 in Philadelphia. The Celtics visit the 76ers on April 30, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET with Boston up 3-2 and one win away from ending the Eastern Conference First Round.

Philadelphia staved off elimination on Tuesday with a road win in Game 5, and Embiid did it in only his second game back after appendectomy surgery. The 76ers now need another home win to force a Game 7 and send the series back to Boston.

Embiid changes the series

Embiid’s 33 points were the pivot in Game 5. It was the kind of line Philadelphia needed with the season at the edge, and it gave the 76ers a chance to keep playing after they had trailed 3-2 entering that game.

He also brought a new variable into the matchup: his return after appendectomy surgery. Game 5 was only his second game back, and Philadelphia used it to prevent Boston from closing out the series on the road.

Boston’s playoff edge

The Celtics have controlled this rivalry in the postseason for most of its history. Boston and Philadelphia have met 22 times in the playoffs, and the Celtics have won 15 of those series meetings.

The 76ers’ last playoff win over Boston came in the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals. That history now sits behind a series that has tightened after Philadelphia’s Game 5 escape.

NBC Sports on deck

The game will air on Peacock and NBCSN, with NBC Sports’ on-site NBA Showtime coverage from Philadelphia set to begin at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. Maria Taylor will host the studio show, joined by Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, while Noah Eagle calls the game with Grant Hill and Robbie Hummel and Ashley ShahAhmadi reporting courtside.

The result could also shape the rest of NBC Sports’ weekend. The network says it could potentially have four Game 7s across Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3, and a Saturday Game 7 would follow live coverage of the 152nd Kentucky Derby at 7:30 p.m. ET.