BOSTON — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid reveled from home in a wretched Celtics loss, as the Atlanta Hawks' 119-117 win in Game 5 on Tuesday afforded his right knee sprain two more days of rest.
Inside Boston's locker room, Marcus Smart could not find the exit fast enough. Jayson Tatum, the No. 2 seed's superstar answer to Embiid, sat dejected, his knees wrapped in ice, a hand covering his face while he stared blankly at his phone, long after the rest of his teammates had showered, dressed and filtered out.