Joel Embiid delivered when it mattered the most, as the Sixers evaded elimination in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. And the night ended with a heartwarming moment involving his son, Arthur.

Following the win, ESPN’s Lisa Salters stopped the big man for a post-game interview. However, before discussing the game, the 32-year-old’s attention briefly shifted to his son.

Joel Embiid leaned down and planted a kiss on his son’s head, who stood beside him. Watching the warm exchange, Salters reacted, saying, “Cute. This one belongs to you.” Embiid responded with a simple confirmation, highlighting how important this victory meant to him.

This scene resembled a similar moment from weeks earlier. After the Sixers center’s 40-point effort against the Pelicans, Arthur crashed the post-game interview. Joel Embiid, in response, excitedly told him about his milestone.

Facing elimination at the boisterous TD Garden, Embiid produced a commanding performance, finishing with 33 points and 8 assists to guide the 76ers to a 113-97 win. And it hasn't been easy, especially going up against Boston.

Playing against the Celtics has more significance in his career, as he explained in the interview. So far, Embiid has faced the Celtics three times in the postseason and lost all three series. With him returning mid-series in the fourth attempt, when his team was already half sunk, he has a lot of work to do.

Joel Embiid prepares his teammates for the series decider

Speaking to Salters, Joel Embiid said, “I told the guys, coming into Boston, I've been playing against these guys basically my whole career. They're going to make a run, and that's okay.”

The prediction proved accurate as the Celtics controlled the lead much of the game. At the same time, Embiid knew something better as well, as he added, “We just kept playing our game, you know, kept telling the guys, ‘It's going to come back to us.”

The Sixers responded with a strong second half and entered the fourth quarter with a 2-point deficit. The Sixers handled the game defensively, limiting the Celtics to just 11 points in the 4th quarter, and closed the game with authority.

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Written by

Shahul Hameed

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar