Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Embiid nets 39 in return, but Hawks swipe opener

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Sunday, 06 June 2021 20:03

Joel Embiid came back from a knee injury to play, but the Philadelphia 76ers couldn't come back from a 26-point deficit against the visiting Atlanta Hawks, losing Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series 128-124 on Sunday.

Playing for the first time in six days since suffering a meniscus tear in his right knee in Game 4 of Philadelphia's first-round series with the Washington Wizards, Embiid led all scorers with 39 points on 12-for-21 shooting (14-for-15 on free throws) and added nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

"Playing on a torn meniscus is not easy," the Sixers star said. "All I got to do is keep managing it. Do my best. Get as much treatment as I can. Try to manage it to make sure that it doesn't swell up too much. Obviously, the pain is going to be there. That's normal.

"But it's all about managing it, doing whatever it takes to win. Because my goal is to win the championship. I'm going to put my body on the line to make sure that happens. I'm going to give everything I got."

The Hawks, led by Trae Young's 35 points, had everything going for them early. They led by 15 after the first quarter and took their largest lead of the game off a Bogdan Bogdanovic 3-pointer with 9:22 remaining in the second quarter to nearly double the Sixers' score at 53-27.

Young had 25 points and seven assists by halftime for the second time in his career. The first time he did it, on Jan. 30, 2020, also was against Philadelphia, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

But Philadelphia, the No. 1 seed in the East, showed up late in Game 1.

The Sixers used an 11-0 run over 2 minutes, 12 seconds of game time in the fourth quarter to draw within three points with 1:01 remaining. And they got as close as two off a Ben Simmons dunk with 10.5 seconds left, before the Hawks held on thanks to a couple of Bogdanovic free throws.

"Up until the last five minutes, things were going pretty well," Atlanta guard Kevin Huerter said. "Thank God we were up 20. Just too many turnovers."

Embiid scored six of the 11 points in that late flurry, but Sixers coach Doc Rivers was uneasy keeping his injured center on the court for it as the game sped up and Embiid's playing time ticked past 38 minutes.

"I didn't like him in, even though we had to have him in," Rivers said. "But when we were trapping and running around in that last three minutes and obviously we made a run, I did not like him on the floor at that point because I didn't want him doing those things, if you want to be honest. That's why we told him to just stand back. Because those are the ones that you get injured on."

Embiid, back in the second round with the Sixers for the third time in the past four seasons, disagreed.

"I can adjust to any style of play. We just played Washington that played fast. This team, they were physical. They play fast. I can adjust to it. It's the playoffs," he said. "You can't worry about how many minutes someone is supposed to play or is going to play. You got to go with your best guys."

Even though the Philly center seemed to tweak his knee late in the game and, while running down John Collins to foul him, fell to the floor, Embiid said he will continue to go full throttle.

"As long as I'm OK to be out there and I'm going to give my best and I'm going to keep pushing until I can't," he said. "But as long as I'm out there, I'm going to play hard. I'm going to dive for loose balls. I'm going to do whatever it takes to win."

With Embiid scoring 11 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, the Sixers outscored Atlanta 41-29 in the final frame, harassing the Hawks into six of their 17 turnovers.

"The run, it just shows that when we're out there playing as hard as we can, how good we are," said Tobias Harris, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia. "And we need that from the start of Game 2 -- and all the games going forward. Just that type of mentality, not to let our guard down throughout this whole series."

Simmons also learned a lesson from how the Sixers closed things out.

"I think we waited too long," he said. "They hit us first; we didn't hit back. At one point, we were down 26, and we still were in the game [at the end]. That tells you a lot about this team and what we're capable of doing. We never want to do that again, obviously. We got to start the right way."

Harris said Embiid "played his tail off," and the center reminded reporters that he has had big games while battling his body before.

"If you look at the history, every time I've had an injury, it always feels like I never miss a beat," Embiid said. "Just because, I go out there, I'm not thinking about what happened or may be going on. It may be bothering me, but I'm just not thinking about it. I just want to focus on giving my all."

But he wasn't all that impressed by his performance, despite setting a new career playoff high in points and scoring the most for a Sixer in a postseason game since Allen Iverson put up 45 against Charlotte in the first round back in 2003, according to ESPN Stats & Info data.

"I could have played better," Embiid said. "We lost the game."

Read 292 times

Soccer

Ten Hag: Ratcliffe has 'common sense' to keep me

Ten Hag: Ratcliffe has 'common sense' to keep me

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMANCHESTER, England -- Erik ten Hag said on Friday that he believes...

Betis defender hospitalised after head injury

Betis defender hospitalised after head injury

EmailPrintReal Betis defender Félix Martí Garreta is receiving treatment in hospital after suffering...

Ancelotti on Vini Jr.'s form: This is his moment

Ancelotti on Vini Jr.'s form: This is his moment

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCarlo Ancelotti praised Vinícius Júnior on Friday after the forward...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

'Battling' Doncic bounces back as Mavs pull even

'Battling' Doncic bounces back as Mavs pull even

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOKLAHOMA CITY -- Luka Doncic cracked a relieved grin and raised his...

Ex-NBA player Davis sentenced in fraud scheme

Ex-NBA player Davis sentenced in fraud scheme

EmailPrintNEW YORK -- Former NBA forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis was sentenced by a federal judge Thur...

Baseball

Brewers lefty Gasser to make MLB debut Friday

Brewers lefty Gasser to make MLB debut Friday

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser is expected to mak...

Trout: Surgery better than waiting, DH-only role

Trout: Surgery better than waiting, DH-only role

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Trout decided that having surgery to repair...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated