Facing elimination in Game 5 on Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers responded with a strong finish to keep their season alive against the Boston Celtics.

A dominant fourth-quarter surge in Boston sent the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series back to Philadelphia. The Sixers will host Game 6 on Thursday, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for Saturday in Boston if necessary.

The Celtics carried a one-point lead into the final period at TD Garden and were 12 minutes away from closing out the series. Instead, Philadelphia took control late, outscoring Boston 28-11 in the fourth quarter to secure a 113-97 win and silence the home crowd.

“Obviously you don’t want to go home, so you do whatever it takes,” said Sixers center Joel Embiid, who finished with 33 points and eight assists in just his second game of the series after missing the first three following an appendectomy.

Embiid also briefly exited in the third quarter after a knee-to-knee collision with Boston’s Jaylen Brown. However, head coach Nick Nurse said there was no major concern afterward.

“I know postgame last night he said he was fine, and that’s the report I’ve got so far,” Nurse said Wednesday.

Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Paul George contributed 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Philadelphia has now won twice in Boston during the series but has dropped both home games, including a 32-point loss in Game 4.

“It’ll take everything we’ve got,” Maxey said. “It’ll take even more effort than it did tonight.”

Nurse is expected to continue relying on a shortened rotation after using mostly six players in Game 5. The starters logged heavy minutes, while Quentin Grimes provided a key lift off the bench with 18 points in 24 minutes.

“He had a little different confidence to him,” Nurse said of Grimes, who averaged 6.8 points in the first four games of the series.

Boston, meanwhile, struggled offensively in the final quarter, shooting just 3-of-22 (13.6%) from the field.

“First of all, give them credit,” said Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics with 24 points and 16 rebounds. “They played well. And yeah, a few looks that we felt good about that we just didn’t make. But sometimes that happens. Not scoring the way you want puts a lot of pressure on your defense, and they made some plays at the other end.”

Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting, while Derrick White struggled again with six points on 2-of-8 shooting. White is shooting just 29.8% from the field in the series, including 7-of-33 (21.2%) from three-point range.

Despite the loss, Tatum has remained consistent, averaging 24.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.6 points while shooting 37% from beyond the arc. Payton Pritchard has also provided steady playmaking with 11 assists and no turnovers over the last two games, while Neemias Queta grabbed 14 rebounds off the bench.

“Just have an understanding, perspective. It wasn’t all bad,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We played solid basketball, and then let’s focus on the stuff we have to get better at and be more consistent in those things heading back to Philly.”

— Field Level Media/Reuters