Sixers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 defeat in Toronto
Sixers-Raptors game four takeaways: Embiid’s thumb is a problem
Joel Embiid had a rough day on Saturday. He looked bad. He shot 0-of-5 in the first quarter, then disappeared once more in the fourth quarter. You can blame the refs or whatever, but when your best player and MVP candidate looks completely out of it, you’re going have a difficult time winning games. Especially on the road against a fired-up opponent.
The obvious source of concern is Embiid’s sprained thumb (with potential ligament damage). He took a while to find his shot, but it was more than that. Embiid’s passes were not crisp, double teams appeared especially disruptive, and his defensive impact was diminished. He only had three rebounds through three quarters, and ended the game with a 3-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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If Embiid’s thumb prevents him from giving maximum effort on the glass, prevents him from playing his typical brand of active defense, and makes him more prone to careless, errant passes, then Philadelphia is screwed. The Embiid who showed up to Game 4 was not the MVP candidate we saw during the regular season. The Raptors did an excellent job of playing Embiid physically and frustrating him, to the point where Embiid committed a careless (even embarrassing) technical foul when he pushed Pascal Siakam in the fourth quarter. It was a tough night all around for the 28-year-old.
It will probably take time for Embiid to get used to playing through his injury. It’s a tricky injury at a tricky time. That said, if Embiid doesn’t come into Game 5 with more patience and a more active disposition, Philly could be in trouble.