Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers walks to the bench during a timeout against the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 5, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Raptors defeated the 76ers 101-96.
Joel Embiid’s health has been a story throughout this NBA Playoffs. His knee injury was a constant topic of discussion in the weeks leading up to the 1st round series against the Nets.
After advancing to the conference semifinals against the Raptors, the focus has shifted to various viruses. He pushed through a Game 2 win at Toronto with a stomach virus, and went as far to say he felt like throwing up the night before the defeat in Game 4.
With all that said, Derek Bodner of The Athletic Philadelphia provided a somewhat positive update Tuesday by tweeting that: “Joel Embiid is probable for Game 5 with an upper respiratory infection.”
Joel Embiid is probable for Game 5 with an upper respiratory infection.
This will surely affect his conditioning and ability to consistently run up and down the court at Scotia Bank in Toronto. Let’s take a look at Philadelphia’s chances in Game 5 with Embiid still not at 100 percent.
Joel Embiid Status & Game 5 Preview vs. Raptors
It’s no coincidence that the 76ers won by double-digits in the one game where Embiid dominated. He scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 116-95 victory in Game 3 at Toronto.
In the other three contests, the 7-footer has averaged just 13 points, with the only Sixers win coming in a 94-89 defensive slugfest in Game 2. The 250-pound center’s numbers are way down from the regular season, when he averaged 22.9 points, 11 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Meanwhile, the Raptors frontcourt has taken turns outdoing the All-Star. Pascal Siakam notched at least 20 points in each of the first 3 games, while Marc Gasol outdid Embiid with 16 points in Game 4. This is a non-starter for Philadelphia is they want to advance to the conference finals.
In addition, Kawhi Leonard is reaching the upper end of his potential that Raptors president Masai Ujiri hoped for when he traded for the former Spurs star this past offseason. According to NBA.com:
Kawhi Leonard’s 39-point performance in Toronto’s Game 4 victory was a continuation of his stellar play in these playoffs. Leonard is second in the league in postseason scoring averaging 32.3 points per game. Even more impressive, he is averaging 38 points on 62 percent shooting, including 49 percent shooting from three, in four games against the Sixers this series. Leonard shot 13-for-20 from the floor in Sunday’s win, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and 8-for-12 at the free-throw line. He also collected a game-high 14 rebounds, helping the Raptors to finish the game tied with the Sixers in rebounds, something that they have struggled with in this series. “He’s a really good player,” Jimmy Butler said after the game. “He’s been doing it for a long time in the league now. He’s done it every game of this series.” Leonard’s 39 points in Sunday’s road win was the highest point total for a Raptors player in the postseason on the road.
Basically, Philadelphia’s star player is not showing up consistently, while Toronto’s is. To counter this, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris have to up their production to make up for the diminished scoring from Embiid.
On top of this, the series returns to Canada tonight (8 p.m., ESPN). This is a disadvantage for the Sixers, who had a losing road record in the regular season (20-21). Meanwhile, Toronto posted a 32-9 mark at home.
The Sixers managed to get a win on the road in Game 1. They need to buck trends again to stick around in this series.