Philadelphia 76ers: What happened to Joel Embiid in Game 4?

With the series all tied up at two, one has to wonder what happened to Joel Embiid in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 96-101 Game 4 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

I guess it may have been a bit premature to assume this Philadelphia 76ers–Toronto Raptors series was over after a dominant 116-95 win in Game 3.

Sure, Philly had the momentum, the home court, and almost universal support from the media, but apparently, no one told that to Kawhi Leonard and company, as the Raptors regrouped, reloaded, and returned to the Wells Fargo Center committed to evening the series out at 2-all before it returns North of the border.

And in a lot of ways, this game was death from a thousand cuts.

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While the Raptors did come out with a more aggressive demeanor, with Kyle Lowry matching his Game 3 scoring total by halftime, this wasn’t a game Toronto won per se, but a game the 76ers lost.

Joel Embiid, where were you?

After dominating all 94 feet of the court in Game 3, Embiid pretty much disappeared in Game 4, scoring only 11 points on seven shots in 35 minutes of action.

How does that happen?

I mean one game prior, Embiid hit 9-18 from the field (and 12-13 from the charity stripe) and yet he only attempted seven shots in seven more minutes of action. He didn’t even take his typical 3.3 3 pointers in Game 4, tossing up a lone contested shot from downtown that frankly had almost no chance of going in.

If Embiid is the engine that keeps the 76ers moving forward, having an ‘off’ game will all but certainly cause the team to sputter out.

But why? Why was Embiid so seemingly afraid to take a shot, instead often deferring to Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and even J.J. Redick?

Again, this wasn’t a dominant outing from either team. Instead, it was an effective chess match between two excellent squads attempting to make the other slip up. With Pascal Siakam a game-time decision, Nick Nurse set his sights on stopping Embiid and forcing the 76ers’ other players to beat him on their home court; and it worked.

With the series heading back to Toronto, it will be incredibly telling to see how Brett Brown attempts to counter Nurse’s latest move and is able to unleash the unstoppable force that is Joel Embiid in the paint once more; for the Philadelphia 76ers’ stake, let’s hope Game 4 as an outlier.

UPDATE:

According to NBC Sports 76ers reporter Serena Winters, Joel Embiid was “very sick” in Game 4.