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Embiid ‘enjoys these moments,' pain and all, provides a signature playoff performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

BOSTON — There’s a tall tale, Mad Libs nature to Joel Embiid’s injury history. A snake bit him somewhere along the way and just kept biting. 

Embiid’s perspective on it all is telling. As he shared following a season-saving 33-point, eight-assist night Tuesday in the Sixers’ Game 5 win at TD Garden over the Celtics, Embiid is guided by a desire to play. 

That’s it, really. 

“The one thing about me is I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff over my career,” Embiid said after the Sixers trimmed their first-round playoff series deficit to 3-2. “I don’t complain. I just want to give as much as I can every single time I step on the floor. I know a lot of people might have takes that I might be lazy or whatever, but every single time I’m on the floor, I want to play as hard as possible. I want to do whatever it takes to win a basketball game, whether it’s on offense, on defense. 

“I just want to play basketball, whether (or not) I’m in good shape physically, mentally or whatever. I just want to enjoy these moments being part of a basketball team that’s trying to accomplish something, and that’s to win every single game.”

Embiid’s norm of playing through pain and discomfort popped up again in Game 5. He added an injury scare to his infinite list when he exited with a limp in the third quarter, but Embiid only missed a little under three minutes of action. Jaylen Brown appeared to inadvertently bump Embiid’s knee after driving and pump faking inside. 

“I just heard that he kind of banged knees with somebody,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “Knee on knee contact.” 

Asked about the moment, Embiid gave a straight-faced reply: “I’m good.”

So … what happened? 

“I don’t remember,” he said with a bit of a mischievous grin. 

Postseason health trouble is habitual for Embiid. Right knee; left knee; orbital fractures; concussions; Bell’s Palsy; gastroenteritis; appendicitis. While not immune to pain, he must have his own definition. 

Sidelined for 17 spring days this time around as he recovered from an appendectomy, Embiid returned Sunday in the Sixers’ woeful Game 4 loss. Despite a cold shooting start to Game 5, he was dominant. Embiid logged 39 minutes, scored efficiently on a night he went 0 for 5 from three-point range, and anchored the Sixers’ much-improved defense. 

“Give him a lot of credit, man,” Nurse said. “He worked really hard to get back from this procedure that he had and played a lot of minutes. And I was super impressed by him on the defensive end tonight.”

On offense, Embiid has set an impossibly high bar for himself. He may not average 40-plus points over a 16-game stretch again, but Embiid still often looks equipped to respond to anything defenses throw his way. 

“When we have him, we’ve got a trump card,” Paul George said. “There’s no one that can guard him. I don’t care who it is, there’s no one that can guard him. … He can take a game over. And obviously, we have to adapt when he doesn’t play. It’s a collective thing to find those baskets, those easy opportunities. But when he’s on the floor, he’s going to create a mismatch.”

At his free-flowing peak, Embiid draws immense attention. He then shoots over a crowd, feeds open teammates or powers through the clump of bodies trying to stop him.

“You’ve got to find the right mix,” he said. “To start the game, it was a little bit more outside than in. In the second half, it was both. Inside, I feel pretty good about my chances of going 1-on-1 against anybody in this league and I don’t think I can be stopped. So I just took advantage of what they were giving me. And then once they made the adjustment, do the best job posssible and just be aggressive. 

“And me being aggressive, it opens up shots for everybody. It’s finding the right balance. It wasn’t all just post-ups. There was a bunch of mid-range. I still feel like my touch is not there. … Got to keep working on it so I can have a better game next game.”

Game 6 will be Thursday night on the Sixers’ floor.

Barring any extreme issues between now and then, Embiid has more basketball in front of him.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I pushed very hard to come back and try to help as much as I can. I’m glad we won (tonight). I didn’t want to go home and think all summer about what could’ve been if I was healthy going into the playoffs. So one more day and one more game to try to make it back here. 

“That’s the mentality. I’m just thankful to be in a position where I get to play. I don’t know how long I can do this, so I just want to enjoy as much as possible.”

Jose Alvarado arguably has been the biggest surprise of this first-round series.

He appeared to be out of coach Mike Brown’s playoff rotation ahead of the postseason.

He did not play in Game 1.

By now, he has firmly reestablished a role.

He played 12 minutes and recorded 12 points in the Knicks’ 126-97 Game 5 win over the Hawks at the Garden.

Seven of those points came during a key six-minute stretch to start the second quarter, when the Knicks padded their lead and pulled away.

“It’s just part of the business: stay ready,” Alvarado said. “Whatever the team needs. We’re a really good team. They communicated with how it was gonna go. Just stay ready, that’s what I did mentally.”

Brown previously explained that, because Landry Shamet and Miles McBride struggled as backup point guards earlier in the series, he gave Alvarado a shot to have a more natural point guard on the floor. He has rewarded Brown for that decision.

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Alvarado’s spotty 3-point shooting had become a weakness and was the primary reason he was not in the rotation at the end of the regular season. But he went 2-for-3 from deep Tuesday.

“My teammates found me,” Alvarado said. “I was open and then I made the shots today.”

Josh Hart subbed out with 6:27 left in the fourth quarter, went to the locker room and did not return.

Earlier in the game, he had been holding his back in a bit of pain after a hard fall.

The Knicks did not have an update postgame.

Mikal Bridges remained in the starting lineup as expected, but he was the first Knicks starter to get subbed out, with Miles McBride replacing him with 5:49 left in the first quarter.

The Knicks led by one at the time. But by the end of the quarter, they led by 13.

Bridges finished plus-11. McBride was plus-19.

CJ McCollum, during the fourth quarter, again kicked Jalen Brunson in the midsection while taking a jump shot.

Brunson grabbed at the area briefly but did not go down to the ground in pain like he did in Game 1.

Afterward, Brunson said, “I don’t make anything of it.”

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are one win away from the conference semifinals, but there might be an injury concern to watch.

Forward Josh Hart, 28, seemingly bothered by a possible back injury, left New York’s 126-97Game 5 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, April 28 in the fourth quarter and did not return to the bench.

After the game, Knicks coach Mike Brown did not have any information on Hart’s status, and a team public relations spokesperson indicated that the medical staff had not provided any information about a possible injury.

Hart appeared to suffer a back injury in the first half of Tuesday’s contest, though he remained in the game. Hart was officially subbed out with 6:27 left in the game, and he went through the tunnel and didn’t emerge for the rest of the game. The substitution might have been more precautionary, however, as the Knicks were up by 24 points when Hart left the game.

As it was the theme for most of the Spurs’ and Trail Blazers’ first-round series, the final matchup was a game of two halves. San Antonio cruised to a huge lead before the break in what seemed destined to be a blowout, only to almost allow a surprising comeback. In the end, the play of De’Aaron Fox on offense late was enough to hold off Portland and close the series for the Silver and Black with a 114-95 win in Game 5.

It was hard to predict a somewhat close game, considering how prepared the Spurs looked early. One of the big question marks heading into Game 5 was whether Tiago Splitter would continue to start Donovan Clingan or go with the more effective Robert Williams III. Splitter stuck with Clingan, and Mitch Johnson’s guys made him pay for it by hitting jumpers over the paint-bound big man. It helped that the defense was clicking and allowed the home team to push the pace and attack before the Portland defense was settled, but even in the half-court, the Spurs targeted him on guard-to-guard screens to get him off Castle or with hand-offs that resulted in open looks. It wasn’t just Clingan’s fault that San Antonio came out of the gates roaring and built up a significant lead, as the Trail Blazers’ offense bricked threes and seemed to have no way of putting up points consistently. After one, the lead was 12.

The issues continued for Portland on the offensive end in the second, even as Splitter tried to get more offensive talent on the floor after doubling down on defense with Sidy Cissoko minutes earlier. The only guy wearing red that could get buckets consistently was Deni Avdija until turnovers from the Spurs gave the visitors some hope. Soon after the sloppy stretch occurred, however, there was foreshadowing of what would happen late in the game, as De’Aaron Fox took control of the offense away from Castle and settled the troops, creating good shots. There were some mistakes to close the second quarter, as San Antonio often overdribbled in hopes of getting to the rim instead of taking jumpers when open and fouled Avdija despite being incredibly disciplined earlier, but in general, it was close to a perfect half for the home team, which led by 20 heading into the break.

The initial two quarters were fun to watch from a San Antonio perspective, so Splitter made sure to prevent that from happening the rest of the way. The Blazers came out of the locker room with increased physicality, almost daring the officials to call fouls on most plays. They did, especially after the Silver and Black tried to match it. What at one point was a high-paced, fluid affair became mired with constant interruptions and ineffective half-court offense from both teams. The reasons for Portland’s struggles were not surprising: they just couldn’t hit threes despite taking plenty of them. For the Spurs, it was a combination of playing slow and having an erratic Stephon Castle trying to find Wembanyama, which resulted in turnovers and stagnation. It wasn’t a pleasant watch, but in the end, the hosts still managed to win the low-scoring frame by one.

By this point, it seemed like the Blazers, which had tried a lot of different lineups and wasted energy mucking things up in the third, were out of ways to make it a game late. Alas, the Spurs seemed too convinced that the job was done and started to play lazily just as Portland was gearing up to make one last push. Instead of moving their feet, they fouled a lot. Instead of starting their offense early and moving the ball, they walked it up, at one point committing an eight-second violation, while looking lost. Fortunately, De’Aaron Fox was there to bring them out of their stupor with 13 fourth-quarter points. On the other end, Wembanyama made his presence felt with a couple of ferocious blocks that shut the door on the comeback attempt, and that was it. After an immaculate first half in which everything looked easy, San Antonio closed out an ugly second half to advance to the next round.

Game notes

• The Trail Blazers are tough. They are not the most talented team, and their lack of consistent shooting is a major flaw, but they played San Antonio well for most of the series. It will be hard for them to add more shooting without losing their defensive identity, but they could be back in the playoffs next season. The series ended up in a gentleman’s sweep and probably would have been an outright sweep had Wembanyama been healthy, but it will prepare the young Spurs for the challenges ahead.
• Victor Wembanyama only took seven shots, but his impact on the game was massive. He just forces opponents to change their normal matchups, and even when it works to a degree, as it did in Game 5, other problems emerge. Everyone knows how great Wembanyama is on defense, but the fact that his mere presence changes the game on offense when he doesn’t force things is hugely important.
• The guard trio had two standouts: De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. Fox has been essential to making units work by playing off-ball, but in the last two games reminded everyone that he can be a big-time scorer when he needs to. Harper is such a tenacious defender and terrific finisher that there’s no question whether he belongs on the floor in a playoff game as a rookie. Those two were great, which made up for a largely poor Stephon Castle night.
• Julian Champagnie had his first double-digit scoring game of the series in the clincher. He got free in transition and worked handoffs well, finally preventing the Blazers from limiting his scoring opportunities. On the other hand, Keldon Johnson still couldn’t offer much scoring, finishing in single digits for the fifth time in as many games.

Play of the game

Instead of focusing on clutch plays that shouldn’t have been necessary, here’s Devin Vassell blocking Donovan Clingan at the rim.

Vassell had 10 points in 11 shots and missed all four of his three-pointers. In past seasons, he would have hurt the team if that were his offensive output. This year, however, Vassell has been finding ways to contribute even when he doesn’t have it going on offense.

The Spurs will face the winner of the series between the Nuggets and Timberwolves. Currently, Minnesota is up 3-2 and will host Game 6, but is missing Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, likely for the rest of the postseason.

After Game 1, OG Anunoby said he had to get better in “everything.” 

He wasn’t specific. 

The standout wing has let his play do the talking. 

He was yet again terrific Tuesday, helping the Knicks take a 3-2 series lead with a 126-97 battering of the Hawks at a raucous Garden. 

He defended, he scored and he rebounded, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals along with a plus-19 rating in 35 strong minutes. 

An argument can be made that through five games of this best-of-seven opening-round playoff series, the 6-foot-7 Anunoby has been the best Knick.

He is averaging an even 20 points, nine rebounds, 1.4 steals and shooting an absurd 54.2 percent from 3-point range. Even in the two losses, he brought it. 

It’s hard to play better. 

“I think he’s one of a kind. Getting to see his work ethic, the person he is, what he has just been able to do in his time as a Knick, he’s been great,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m so happy to have him. I’m happy I don’t have to see him on that side of the ball — he just creates havoc. I think his game’s growing, and that’s what happens when you work hard.” 

Over the past two games, the Knicks have held the Hawks to fewer than 100 points each time. Before that, the last time that happened to Atlanta was March 20.

Anunoby has been a big part of that, as one of the backbones to the Knicks defense. 

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world on a big stage something that we always thought he was. When you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, weirdly enough, it’s special. 

“I believe he’s going to be First Team All-Defense, and he deserves it.”