TORONTO — Joel Embiid stood at the free-throw line, hands on knees and hunched over, preparing to take a pair of ultimately meaningless free throws. He then shook his hand as the first shot dropped through the net, a sign of the clear pain he will need to fight through in at least one more game against these Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors started fast and withstood the Sixers’ second-half pushes to win, 110-102, Saturday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena to keep their season alive and force a Game 5 in the best-of-seven series.
Sixers veteran Danny Green, who has won three championships in his career, cautioned following Friday’s practice that close-out games are the most difficult to capture. That rang true during Saturday’s slog. The Sixers could not overcome a double-digit first-half deficit, 34 points from Raptors star Pascal Siakam or allowing 22 Toronto points off turnovers and 21 in transition.
The Sixers’ next chance to wrap up the series comes in Monday night’s Game 5 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Toronto pulled away in the final minutes to collect their first victory of the series. When the Sixers got within 82-81 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Toronto responded with six consecutive points, including a Precious Achiuwa finish down low. That advantage grew to 101-87 with less than four minutes to play, when Siakam hit two free throws.
Embiid, who three nights prior left this crowd in stunned silence with his overtime game-winning 3-pointer, finished with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists but also also turned the ball over five times. James Harden added 22 points but made just 5 of 17 shots and added nine assists and five rebounds. Tobias Harris totaled 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raptors, meanwhile got 24 points from Gary Trent Jr. and totaled 36 bench points.
Embiid battles through thumb injury
Embiid was clearly laboring through the thumb injury that will receive an MRI when the Sixers return to Philly. His offensive rhythm came in fits throughout, and hit a crucial drought in the final period. And every time he touched the ball, the home crowd unleashed boos or a chant featuring his name and an expletive.
He went 0 for 5 from the floor in the first quarter and did not score until a jumper about midway through the second frame. And even when he got rolling just before halftime — he hit a hook shot in the lane and converted an and-1 through contact — he ended up grabbing his hand in pain multiple times after missing at the basket twice in the final minute.
In the third quarter, Embiid recorded a dunk, a tough off-the-dribble jumper and a fadeaway in the final four minutes to get the Sixers within 78-74.
The MVP finalist did not score in the fourth quarter until hitting two free throws with about four minutes remaining, after the Raptors had rebuilt an 11-point lead.
Another first-half hole
Saturday’s first half unfolded much like Wednesday’s Game 3, with clunky offense and a lack of rebounding helping the Raptors build a 12-point lead when Trent drilled 3-pointer with about four minutes to play before the break.
Toronto outrebounded the Sixers 25-18 before the break, including 8-4 on the offensive glass to yield 12 second-chance points (the Sixers had zero).
The Sixers, meanwhile, shot under 40% for the bulk of the first half, including Embiid, Harden and Maxey going a combined 7 for 23 from the floor. Tobias Harris’ nine points and seven rebounds, along with a 7-of-16 mark from 3-point distance, kept the Sixers within striking distance.
Scottie Barnes returns, Fred VanVleet leaves
After receiving his Rookie of the Year award during a pregame ceremony, Scottie Barnes finished with six points on 1-of-6 shooting, 11 rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes in his return after suffering a sprained ankle in Game 1 last Saturday.
He received a standing ovation upon checking in for the first time about midway through the first quarter. He put a brief scare in the crowd when he fell down and grabbed that ankle in the opening seconds of the second quarter. But he came back into the game after testing the ankle by bouncing up and down during a timeout.
Raptors All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet, however, was not so lucky. He left the game in the second quarter with a hip strain and did not return. He ripped his jersey in half in frustration before heading to the locker room. He totaled five points on 2-of-6 shooting, three assists and two rebounds in 14 minutes.
