The Philadelphia 76ers entered Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday night looking to bounce back against the Boston Celtics and even the series 2-2 before the series shifts back to TD Garden. That didn't happen.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 113-97 in Game 5 to avoid elimination in their first-round playoff series.

With a chance to clinch their first-round series, the Celtics scored just 11 fourth-quarter points in a Game 5 loss to the 76ers. Game 6 is Thursday in Philadelphia.

From the jump, the Sixers battled their tails off and made sure they were going to stay alive for another day. Every time the Celtics looked like they were going to run away with it and put them away,

The first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs featured a trio of Game 5 clashes on Tuesday. The slate opened with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, as the Celtics were looking to advance to the second round after taking a 3-1 series lead.

The Philadelphia 76ers discuss the need to play desperate basketball in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

Tyrese Maxey offered the word “desperate” while describing how the 76ers must play Tuesday against the Boston Celtics with their season now on the brink of elimination. The All-Star point guard also did not have an answer when asked why his team did not already possess that mentality in Sunday’s Game 4,

The Celtics blew a 13-point second half lead in an ugly collapse on Tuesday night, falling 113-97 to the 76ers at TD Garden in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Celtics now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with Game 6 shifting to Philadelphia on Thursday night.