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Joel Embiid did not appear to be at his best in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Philadelphia 76ers superstar, who is currently suffering from a torn meniscus in his right knee, struggled in the second half as the Atlanta Hawks leveled the 7-game series 2-2. The Sixers had a 13-point lead at the end of the first half, but Trae Young responded with 9 points and 7 assists in the third quarter to negate Shake Milton’s 8 points in the final 12 minutes of the game.
In Game 4, Joel Embiid barely resembled the MVP-level player he has looked in the 2021 NBA Playoffs so far, and went 0 for 12 from the field in the second half. While doing so, he set an unwanted record for the most attempts in the second half of a playoffs game without making a field goal.
Joel Embiid was evaluated in the first half as well, and his struggles have Philadelphia 76ers fans worrying about his status for Game 5.
NBA 2021 Playoffs Round 2: Is Joel Embiid playing tonight against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5?
Fans will be happy to know that the Philadelphia 76ers have not added Joel Embiid to the injury list and is therefore expected to play in Game 5
Sixers coach Doc Rivers lamented the fact that the Sixers appeared to resort to “hero-basketball” in Game 4:
"We went back to hero basketball. Everybody wanted to be the hero, instead of just trusting the team, trusting each other. When you do that, you usually lose, especially when the other team outworks you the whole f***ing game.”
Regardless, despite Embiid shooting at just 20% on the night, he did a decent job defensively and added 21 rebounds. The Philadelphia 76ers lost their way offensively in the second half, and it was Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton who were the top-scorers with 8 points each.
Embiid acknowledged the series-leveling loss as a “blown opportunity.” He missed an easy layup with almost 8.8 seconds left on the clock and his team trailing by a point. After the match, Embiid had the following to say about the miss:
“Great look. Great look. I just didn't have the lift. Thought I got fouled too. But usually, I would go up, especially for a bucket like that, try to dunk it. Try to get fouled and get an and-1. But, not being able to jump for obvious reasons. It's tough. I guess it's already known. Don't need to explain, I'm just trying to do the best I can. I thought in the beginning of the game, when I went back to the locker room, I just felt like I didn't have it tonight. That was a blown opportunity. But it happened. Can't change it. Got to move on to Game 5."
While Joel Embiid is clearly struggling with his knee injury, he is expected to play a part in Game 5, and should feature in the starting lineup again.
