Things started getting a little chippy at the end of Game 4 between the Raptors and Sixers. That tends to happen when one team builds up a double-digit lead. Late in the fourth quarter, Joel Embiid ran a forearm into Pascal Siakam’s rib cage in a bout of severe frustration.
The refs called a technical foul on Embiid, but some saw it as a dirty play. After the game, Siakam talked about what happened and seemed to call Embiid out in the process. He called it “fake toughness.”
“I think it’s tricky,” Siakam told reporters. “I mean, I’m a competitor, I love just being competitive and fighting. This is the playoffs, man, the highest level for us and I think I’m cool with all of that, you know the talking and all that stuff. It’s fine.
“I just don’t want no dirty plays, like for me, I don’t like that. I don’t like that, right? I think we just got to keep it basketball, just go out there compete and play hard, at the highest level. Just no dirty plays and … at the end of the day, it’s all fake toughness so it’s alright.”
Things are getting chippy in Toronto 👀
Joel Embiid makes sure Pascal Siakam can feel this foul.
Siakam has a career-high 34 points. Embiid was hit with a tech.
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Embiid Ready for MRI, Heading Back to Philly
The Sixers really wanted to complete the sweep on Saturday and get a few extra days of rest before the next round. No one needs the time to heal more than Embiid who is nursing what is believed to be a torn ligament in his right thumb. He was seen laboring in Game 4, sometimes wincing in pain and grabbing at his injured hand.
Lots from Joel Embiid’s post-game: Will get an MRI tomorrow but says he “imagines” he’s going to keep playing, thought the officials “did a great job,” talked about Toronto’s double teams.
And finally, when asked about the thumb for an 8th time: “Africans don’t feel pain.”
An MRI was scheduled for Sunday back in Philadelphia. Everyone is hoping for the best. and Embiid is preparing to keep playing no matter what the diagnosis is.
“I want to play so obviously I’m going to listen to what they [the doctors] have to say,” Embiid said, “and I would imagine that I keep playing, and probably do something [surgery] after the season.”
Embiid has dealt with debilitating injuries before and endured them. The Sixers aren’t worried about their superstar or blowing a 3-0 series lead.
“We’re not, or at least I’m not worried,” Embiid said. “I kind of know what we have to do and if they’re going to use the same gameplan that they used against me tonight [in Game 4] and in Game 1, just gotta make everybody else around me better. I gotta take care of the ball and make sure I put everybody in positions to succeed.”
Doc Rivers Takes Jab at Raptors
Nick Nurse was the one complaining about everything after going down 3-0 in the series. The Raptors head coach thought the officiating was unbalanced. And he didn’t like the way James Harden and Joel Embiid were allowed to be “foul merchants.”
After Game 4, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers had a little fun at Nurse’s expense. He threw the perfect amount of shade at Toronto.
“They deserved to win the game,” Rivers said. “I’m not going to sit here and complain. I’m not going to [complain], like they do. We got beat tonight.”
“I’m not going to sit here and complain. I’m not going to, like they do.” 👀
– Doc Rivers
(h/t @JClarkNBCS )
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Raptors Star Pascal Siakam Calls Out Sixers’ Joel Embiid