A dreadful night unfolded for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tatum, a player of immense caliber, missed an alarming 14 consecutive shots in the opening quarter, eerily close to matching the worst streak by any player in the postseason over the last quarter-century, via a tweet by @ESPNStatsInfo.

On the other end of the court, the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid exploited the Celtics' weaknesses with ruthless precision. Isolating Al Horford repeatedly, Embiid put on an offensive onslaught, scoring 21 points by halftime, with a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.

Tatum's struggles came as a harsh blow to the Celtics, who sorely needed his game to be above-average, at the least . The night proved that even potential greats have off days. But in playoff basketball, an off day can have dire consequences.

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The Sixers, meanwhile, had their stars shining bright. Embiid and Tyrese Maxey commanded the scoring with 33 and 30 points respectively. James Harden, playing the role of distributor, chalked up an impressive 10 assists. The Celtics' other key players couldn't pick up the slack left by Tatum. Marcus Smart, though efficient from the free-throw line, only took seven field goal attempts throughout the game, while Horford was eerily quiet, missing all seven of his shots.

The Celtics now stare at elimination in Game 6. They will have to regroup and bounce back at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday if they hope to extend their postseason journey. For Jayson Tatum, Game 5 will serve as a stark reminder that every night in the NBA can't be a masterpiece. But with the stakes higher than ever, Celtics fans will be hoping their star player can quickly forget this performance and deliver when it matters most.