Joel Embiid Discusses Sixers' Key to Forcing Game 7 vs. Miami Heat
Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers didn't look like the best version of themselves on Tuesday night in Miami.
After dropping their first two games in the second-round series against the Miami Heat, the Sixers picked up two-straight wins with stellar performances at home.
Once the series went back down to South Beach, though, Philadelphia played poorly and took on their biggest loss of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
A lack of physicality was a common issue pointed out by several members of the Sixers' roster. But it went beyond being the less physical team in Game 5.
Effort-wise, the Sixers were far from engaged. And from the start of the game, it was clear it was going to be one of those nights that feature turnovers and lousy shooting from the field on the offensive end -- and just a poor showing overall on the defensive end.
On offense, the Sixers drained just 36-percent of their shots in Game 5. From deep, Philly couldn't hit on more than 29-percent of their threes. They also lost the turnover battle as Miami forced 16 turnovers, with more than half committed within the first two quarters.
Meanwhile, the Heat knocked down more than 50-percent of their field goals. Then from beyond the arc, Miami drained almost 40-percent of their threes as open looks were available consistently.
In the end, the Sixers collected a 35-point loss to drop to 2-3 in the series. While they are confident they can win Game 6 on their home court on Thursday night, Joel Embiid revealed what needs to be done in order for his team to keep the series alive.
“[We need to] share the ball," said Embiid, following the blowout loss. "Defensively, we have to be locked in. For myself, I have to dig deeper than I have. Try to forget about what’s going on and play freely. I just have to have that mentality for four quarters."
Embiid was the Sixers' most productive player on offense in Game 5, but it was far from his best performance. In 33 minutes, the big man put up 12 shots and drained seven of his attempts while going 3-3 from the free-throw line. He scored a team-high of 17 points.
In the playoffs, the home team has played much better than the visitors in this series. Therefore, Embiid and the Sixers are confident they can turn things around.
"I like our chances to come back here," Embiid finished.
Embiid and the Sixers are set to tip-off against the Heat for the sixth time this series on Thursday night in South Philly. A win for the Sixers forces a Game 7, which would take place on Sunday. A loss for Philly would put an end to their 2022 playoff run.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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Doc Rivers Sounds Off After Game 5: Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers highlights several factors that played into his team’s struggles in Game 5 against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
Joel Embiid Reacts to MVP Loss: Despite coming up short in the NBA MVP race for the second season in a row, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid doesn’t have any hard feelings over the results. After Game 5, the veteran big man congratulated Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic for winning the award once again. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
