Celtics' Coach Admits Frustration After Game 5 Loss to 76ers

On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics lost 113-97 to the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series. The 76ers forced a Game 6 to extend the series behind Joel Embiid's 33-point performance. The Celtics had trouble containing him, especially in the second half.

Embiid had 18 points in the latter quarters and took over the game. The Celtics had an 83-76 lead late in the third quarter. However, that was erased early in the fourth quarter as the 76ers had a 90-86 lead.

After the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked if the team was frustrated in the fourth quarter. Boston had just 11 points and was badly outplayed by Philadelphia. The squad struggled, shooting 25.0% from outside the arc and 13.6% from the field.

Joe Mazzulla Said the Lack of Made Shots Led to the Team's Frustration

"I think when you have empty possession, empty possession, and you're not getting stops, it's frustrating," Mazzulla said.

Jaylen Brown was the only star who scored in the fourth quarter and had two points on 0-for-6 shooting. Tatum, meanwhile, was on the floor for 7:35 minutes and only had two attempts.

The Celtics missed their last 16 attempts on the floor. However, that did not affect Boston's mentality moving forward, and Mazzulla believed that the team had good looks. During the postgame presser, Brown revealed the team's mentality as they head to Game 6.

"Just take a deep breath, relax, and get ready to go. Just have the right mentality and come out and execute your job. You know, no need to put any extra pressure on ourselves. It's already enough of that as it is. Just come out and play basketball," the star said.

The Celtics know that the team not only had difficulties on offense, but on defense as well. Mazzulla said that they failed to contain the 76ers' shooters, which gave them the momentum and the confidence to take over the game.

"They got hot from three. We left Grimes a couple of times. Paul George got one ... Maxey ... they're a dangerous team when they do that."

The Celtics did not make the most of their chances at the free-throw line. Both teams had 23 attempts from the charity stripe. But the 76ers made 20, while the other team had 14. On Thursday, Philadelphia will host Game 6 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in an attempt to force a Game 7.

Related: Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla Calls Coach of the Year Award 'Stupid'

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 10:30 PM.