The Philadelphia 76ers produced a decisive fourth-quarter surge in a 113-97 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5, and head coach Nick Nurse pointed to defensive discipline and execution as the turning point.
“We were able to really execute what we wanted to do defensively. Just weren’t blowing assignments and we were guarding the ball hard,” Nurse said.
Philadelphia held Boston to 3-of-22 shooting and 11 points in the final quarter, a swing Nurse credited to structure and one-on-one accountability.
“I just think everybody did a really good job of guarding their man and executing the schemes that we wanted executed,” he said.
The Celtics’ offense repeatedly struggled to generate clean drives late in the game, limiting rotation pressure on the Sixers’ defense.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of straight line drives where we got into lots of rotations or any of those kinds of things,” Nurse said.
Joel Embiid again became the central force of the game plan, especially through post touches that created scoring and spacing advantages.
“When he gets down there, he forces doubles and it opens up everything else,” Nurse said.
He also noted that the Sixers repeatedly leaned into Embiid’s gravity as Boston adjusted defensively.
“We talked about it at one of the timeouts: listen, we got to go through Joel in the post because now they’re starting to send people,” he said.
The head coach emphasized that decision-making off those post touches created offensive clarity late.
“If we make the right decisions, we’re going to get somebody an open look,” Nurse said.
Embiid’s start, which included an early 1-of-7 stretch, did not change the team’s approach, according to Nurse.
“Everybody just kept encouraging him to keep taking them,” he said. “Then he got inside some, a lot of touches inside. I think that always helps to get you going in general.”
Nurse also pointed to Embiid’s defensive contribution after returning from a recent procedure.
“He worked really hard to get back through this procedure that he had and played a lot of minutes. I was super impressed with him on the defensive end tonight,” he said.
Tyrese Maxey’s all-around performance, including 25 points and 10 rebounds, also drew strong internal approval.
“I’m super happy about the 10 rebounds. He came flying a lot for those,” Nurse said.
He added that Maxey’s control at point guard was a stabilizing factor for the offense.
“He did a really good job of running the team and getting them into stuff,” Nurse said. “I would imagine there was only a handful of possessions that I wasn’t really happy with.”
Quentin Grimes provided a key bench lift, something Nurse linked to confidence and early success.
“He saw one go in and then I think Joe found him a little bit from post up and out. Tyrese did a good job of play calling for him as well,” he said.
Nurse also highlighted the defensive ripple effect of Grimes’ contributions.
“It lifted him personally on the other end too, because he had a couple really good defensive possessions,” he said.
Looking ahead to Game 6 in Philadelphia, Nurse acknowledged the need for adaptability in rotation decisions.
“We always consider other plans and what things could happen,” he said. “You just got to try to go with your gut on the night on what you think is best.”
The series now shifts back to Philadelphia, where the 76ers will attempt to extend their season again behind a growing reliance on Embiid’s interior dominance and late-game defensive structure.
