Looking to close out their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown knows what his team has to do, and that’s shut down superstar Joel Embiid. After missing the first three games of the series as he recover from an appendectomy, Embiid has come back in a big way for the Sixers, averaging 29.5 points and 7 rebounds in his two games during this series, while also averaging 36.5 minutes, showing the urgency that his team needs for him to be out there.
Following Boston’s Game 5 loss at home to Philadelphia, Brown met with the media and spoke about Embiid’s play and presence for the Sixers, acknowledging they need to make it more difficult for him. In the two games that Embiid has played, Celtics center Neemias Queta has struggled with foul trouble, committing four fouls in the Game 4 win, and five in the Game 5 loss, needing to improve for Game 6 to help give the Celtics a chance to shut down the paint.
Jaylen:
“I feel like (Joel) had too many easy baskets. We need to make him work. I feel like that propelled them” pic.twitter.com/vHMTGdvpdJ
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 29, 2026
“I feel like he had too many easy baskets,” Brown said about Embiid on Tuesday night. “We need to make him work, it was just too easy for him. Even though we trust our guys to guard certain matchups, we have to make it a little bit tougher, he got a lot of easy baskets, and I feel like that propelled him.”
Picking up their second win on Boston’s home court, the Sixers are looking to force a Game 7 if they can pull off a victory on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Embiid carried his team in Game 5, totaling 33 points on 12-23 shooting, adding 8 assists and 4 rebounds, as he asserted himself from the very beginning of the game. Although their offense struggled in a big way on Tuesday night in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown is hoping Boston’s fortunes turn around in Game 6 if they can manage to contain Embiid.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics’ Jaylen Brown wants team to make Sixers’ Joel Embiid work more