NBA playoff dispatches: Embiid struggles cause for Sixers concern?

FOX Sports writers are providing takeaways from games throughout the NBA playoffs. Here are their thoughts from Thursday night.

76ers 102, Nets 97: Embiid’s effort makes for ominous win

It’s probably not a good sign for the Sixers that the first round of the playoffs isn’t even complete and Joel Embiid is already laboring. Yes, he had an outstanding block to seal the Sixers’ road win over the Brooklyn Nets, giving them a 3-0 series lead. But other than that, he did little to help his team.

His numbers were ugly. He shot just 5-for-13 from the field. He finished with 14 points, a season low. He turned the ball over five times. He committed five fouls. He didn’t grab a single offensive rebound, despite being matched up against a severely undersized Nets squad. He attempted just five free throws.

Worse than that, though, was the way he looked. He seemed to collapse to the floor every other trip down the court. Sometimes he’d limp after getting up. He clutched at his knees. Never mind him losing his cool in the first quarter and — despite not being interpreted as cause for ejection from the officials — kicked Nic Claxton in the groin.

Talking to reporters after the game, Embiid was his usual self, using his charm to deflect questions about his actions. Asked about his health, he said, “I’m OK, I took a lot of shots today. I’m fine.”

Asked about the shot to Claxton’s mid-section, Embiid said, “I don’t know, I don’t remember it. Like I said, we’re up 3-0.”

The All-NBA center made a point of pointing out his belief that the Nets were taking shots at his knees and back in a hope to trigger a reaction and get him ejected.

“The whole game you could see what they were doing, just trying to get a rise out of me,” Embiid said. “I’m too valuable, especially after the first one, I just understood I’m too valuable to get into this stuff.”

But watching the game, I couldn’t help but think of something someone in the Sixers’ organization said to me a few years ago when talking about the team’s title chances: “It all comes down to whether, come April, Joel can play every game, at a level close to his best, every other day, for three months.”

That remains the case today. And it’s why the Sixers, despite being on the verge of sweeping their first-round foe, could be in trouble.

— Yaron Weitzman

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, “Rebound,” on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and “Yao: A Life In Two Worlds.” He also has a daily podcast, “On The Ball with Ric Bucher.” Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.