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PHILADELPHIA – Sixers superstar Joel Embiid felt so sick Sunday morning that he texted his coach to tell him that he might not play. After a 101-96 defeat by the Toronto Raptors against the semifinals of the Eastern Conference 2-2, his game made him even more clueless.
"I mean, at the end of the day, it's mine," said Embiid after finishing with 11 points on two shots for seven, eight rebounds and seven assists. "I became more aggressive, and today it was not the same thing as [Game 3]. Remaining aggressive, especially at the offensive, I have to help my teammates to better. But always on me. "
Embiid scored 33 points on 18 shots in the third game to advance Philadelphia in the series. Sunday, he scored 22 points less, and the Sixers have accumulated 20 points less in the team.
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"I received a text message from him at 6:20 this morning, telling me that he had not really slept all night, he had never really felt so badly: & & # 39; "I was not sure, Coach, if I'm going to play." That's how my day started, "said Sixers coach Brett Brown.
The center of stars told reporters that after a sleepless night, he had received an IV drip at 6 am – about nine-thirty before the end of the match – which marked the second time in this series that he needed an intravenous drip. Before the second game, he had received fluids to deal with a gastroenteritis crisis.
"I'm just not myself," he says.
The Sixers looked very different from the team that took control of the series on Friday. After taking an 84-81 lead over a 3-pointers put aside by Jimmy Butler while he was 9:18 in the fourth quarter, Philly spent more than seven minutes without a great opportunity before JJ Redick hit a 3-pointer at 2:07.
During the drought, the Sixers scored a 0-on-9 ground (0-over-6 at 3 points) and 3-on-6 at the play line with three turnovers.
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Brett Brown said Joel Embiid had texted him Sunday at 6:30 am, telling him that he was not sleeping well and that he did not know he would play in the fourth game.
Embiid was one of the main culprits of the match, going from 0 to 2 on the field and 3 to 6 on the line with two turnovers and four fouls in the fourth quarter.
Toronto played big, sometimes playing Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, and both players responded with their best games in the series for Toronto. Gasol had 16 points and five panels; Ibaka contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks from the bench.
Asked about changes to the composition of Raptors on Embiid, Sixers goalkeeper Ben Simmons was a case in point.
"He must be ready and waiting for that," Simmons said. "Obviously, he's a little sick today, that's playing too."
The Raptors dominated the Sixers 38-34 in the paint. The Philadelphia conversion rate on shots in the paint, which reached 17 for 37 (46%), was the worst among the playoffs, and the fifth among the worst of the season, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
The series will move to Toronto for Tuesday's fifth game, and potentially for the seventh Sunday, as it will be a best-of-three affair, as both teams have proven that they could win on the ground. ;opponent.
"I still have an incredible chance of winning the Eastern Conference championship, and then going to the [NBA] Finals, so we're looking forward to doing it, "said Simmons.
The Sixers are also planning a comeback in the form of Embiid.
"We just want him to be aggressive," Butler said. "I mean, damn it, if you want to go 2-by-7, 2-by-20, I'm with this … We're swinging with Jo, that's what we need, from In the future, we expect the same thing, go show why you're so dominant, night after night, at both ends of the room, he's a little sick, he's been hurt, so we have a day to do good [before Game 5]. "
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