Normally, Joel Embiid says, he would have dunked the basketball. Maybe he’d even draw a foul for a three-point play.
Not this time.
The 76ers star center was thwarted at the rim on a potential go-ahead basket with eight seconds left in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hawks on Monday night at State Farm Arena. The 76ers would remain one point down. The Hawks won the game, after a pair of Trae Young free throws, 103-100 to even the best-of-seven series.
Embiid has been playing the series with a slight tear of the meniscus in his right knee. It certainly didn’t appear to affect him as he averaged 35 points and 10 rebounds through the first three games.
It was an issue in the fourth game. A big issue.
Embiid finished with 17 points and 21 rebounds. However, he was 0-for-12 from the field in the second half, when he scored just four points, all free throws.
“I just wasn’t able to jump for obvious reasons,” Embiid said.
Embiid said he knows he won’t be 100 percent for the remainder of the series. He went back to the locker room in the second half but returned after a short break.
“From the beginning of the game, even before I went back to the locker room, I just felt like I didn’t have it tonight,” Embiid said.
The Hawks trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half. They came roaring back in the second half as Embiid struggled. He finished the game 4-of-20 from the field, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range. He was 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.
“He didn’t have his best night offensively, but he had some big plays defensively for us all throughout the game,” teammate Tobias Harris said. “… He is the most dominant player in the game, making shots or not making shots.”
Embiid had some extended rest between Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Monday. That won’t be the case the rest of the series. The teams will play every other day, beginning with Game 5 in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“There are no excuses,” Embiid said. “I’ve got to do better.”
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