Last night, as double-digit underdogs, the 76ers went into TD Garden and defeated the No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics 119-115. 

James Harden was fantastic, scoring 45 points to go along with six assists and two steals. Tyrese Maxey shook off four miserable regular season games against Boston and scored 26 points while Tobias Harris, who led the Sixers in a close-out Game 4 against Brooklyn, scored 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor. 

Off the bench, De’Anthony Melton scored 17 first-half points and drained 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, answering every attempt of the offensive outburst from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. 

Embiid, while excited, sat on the bench engaged with the action, but nursing an LCL sprain that has kept him out the last two playoff games for the Sixers. 

Embiid, no stranger to injuries come playoff time, has a history of missing games once Spring rolls around. 

Joel Embiid Playoff Injury History

• 2023: Knee sprain
• 2022: Orbital fracture, Concussion, Torn thumb Ligament
• 2021: Torn meniscus
• 2019: Knee tendinitis

This year is different. Embiid finally has the support around him where, at least in the last two games, players like Harden, PJ Tucker, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey answered the call to earn the win. 

James Harden: 45 PTS | 6 AST | 2 STL

Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on May 2, 2023.

Tyrese Maxey: 26 PTS | 2 AST | 4 STL

Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on May 2, 2023.

Tobias Harris 18 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST

Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on May 2, 2023.

De’Anthony Melton: 17 PTS | 5-6 3PT

Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on May 2, 2023.

Paul Reed: 10 PTS | 13 REB | 2 AST | STL | BLK

feed Reed. 🍽️

Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on May 2, 2023.

Embiid Celebrating

ELLE EST POUR TOI JOEL CELLE-LÀ 💙

With a 1-0 series lead in the second round of the playoffs, the Sixers will face Boston yet again on Wednesday night. Will they be able to battle their way to a 2-0 series lead? It’s definitely possible, but they already did their job by stealing one game on the road.

While Joel Embiid’s status for Wednesday night is still up in the air, the Sixers’ depth is built to withstand Boston. While they may not be able to do so for a full seven games, stealing Game 1 was important and just bought Embiid some more time to get right for the rest of the series. 

Read Full Game 1 Recap Here >>

NBC Sports Philly trolls Boston after Game 1 upset >>

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