A back niggle has brought an early end to Kagiso Rabada's IPL season. Cricket South Africa has advised that the fast bowler return home as a precautionary measure ahead of the 2019 World Cup, which begins on May 30 with the tournament-opener between South Africa and hosts England.

Rabada, the leading wicket-taker of IPL 2019 with 25 in 12 games, had complained of discomfort after Delhi Capitals' match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 28. He missed Capitals' next match, against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, and underwent scans on his back the following day. Capitals shared the scan results with CSA, and on Friday the franchise confirmed that Rabada had been advised to return home.

As a result, Rabada will miss Capitals' last league game, against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, as well as their playoff matches.

"It is indeed very hard for me to leave the Delhi Capitals at this stage of the tournament," a Capitals release quoted Rabada as saying. "But with the World Cup just a month away, a collective decision has been made for me in this regard. It's been a tremendous season for me with the Delhi Capitals, both on and off the field, and I truly believe that our team can win the trophy."

The injury to Rabada is the latest in a long line of fitness worries for South Africa's fast bowlers ahead of the World Cup. Dale Steyn's (shoulder) IPL also ended prematurely, while Lungi Ngidi (side strain) and Anrich Nortje (shoulder) were ruled out even before the T20 tournament began.

Which is the better T20 team - France or Argentina?

For fans not tuned into the minutiae of Associate cricket, it's now possible to answer this question, or at least have an informed idea, with the ICC expanding its men's T20I rankings to 80 teams.

Last year, the ICC decided to award T20I status to all T20 matches between its members, swelling the list of T20I teams from 18 to 104. All teams that have played a minimum of six T20Is against other ICC members since May 2016 now feature in the expanded rankings.

The first expanded rankings list has Pakistan at one end with 286 points, and Indonesia, China, Gambia, Swaziland, Rwanda and Lesotho at the other with no points against their names. In between, some interesting movement has taken place, with Nepal moving to 11th to sit above two Test-playing nations in Zimbabwe (13th) and Ireland (15th).

Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Cameroon and Bermuda are yet to play the requisite number of matches to feature on the rankings table.

As for France, or Argentina, or any other team you might be a fan of - click here to find out.

Australia's coach Justin Langer has counselled Steven Smith and David Warner to turn the other cheek to the Barmy Army's inevitable barbs in England this summer, having reflected on how he made himself the focus of their tuneful banter as a player.

During the 2002 Boxing Day Test, Langer made 250 and followed up by attacking the Barmy Army for baiting Brett Lee with shouts of "no-ball", saying in part: "These people stand behind a fence drinking beer with most of them 50 kilos overweight making ridiculous comments," Langer said at the time. "It's easy for someone to say that from behind a fence, they're within their rights because they've paid their money, but there's still some integrity in life, I think."

From then on, Langer seldom had any peace from the English supporters' group, something he recounted in Brisbane on Friday. "This is the biggest, probably, lesson of my sporting career," he said. "I just got 250 so I walked in, I think I'm Viv Richards, I feel like I've got the gold chain and the chest out and like I'm the king ... and I made one comment about the Barmy Army because I was sticking up for Brett Lee. Then they start singing the song about the seven dwarfs, so you don't mess with the Barmy Army. I'm not messing with the Barmy Army.

"One thing I respect about the Barmy Army, through thick and thin they always barrack for the England cricket team. We're never going to be best friends but... I'll never argue with the Barmy Army again. The songs are humiliating.

"I think there's going to be plenty of spotlight on the whole team. The boys are big boys now, they've worked through a real tough 12 months, they'll be thicker skinned for it. There's no real remedy for it, we know what we're going to get, we'll be ready for it. There will be some strategies, personal and collective strategies in place, so together we're moving in the right direction and going on with what we love doing which is playing cricket and World Cup and Ashes cricket - it doesn't get much better than that."

England win toss, bowl, versus Ireland

England have won the toss and elected to bowl in their delayed ODI against Ireland in Dublin.

The match was put back by two hours and reduced to 45 overs per side amid concerns over a soggy outfield after overnight rain, with particular concerns over an area at backward point and the bowlers' run-up at one end. The players are now set to take to the field in sunny but cold conditions with the pitch a classic green seamer that should assist Tim Murtagh's nibbly medium-pace.

The match was due to start at 10.45am local time but two pitch inspections eventually allowed play to begin at 12.45pm. Bowlers will be restricted to a maximum of nine overs each and the innings break cut to half an hour.

Jofra Archer will make his long-awaited ODI debut wearing an England shirt and has admitted to nerves finally kicking in late last night. He is among a number of players who, despite being left out of England's preliminary squad for the World Cup, will be hoping to stake a claim for a late call-up to the tournament starting at the end of the month.

Asked if he was feeling the pressure, Arhcer told Sky Sports: "Yeah, especially if you haven't played international cricket. But every tournament has its own added pressure, someday the team might not be doing as well and then you may feel even more pressure to do well for the team, but you just try not to let it get to you too much ... the biggest thing is right now in today, and if today goes well, there will be a tomorrow."

With Jason Roy injured, Jonny Bairstow rested and Alex Hales omitted, the stage is set for James Vince and Dawid Malan - making his ODI debut - to open for England. Joe Denly is playing his first ODI in almost 10 years, with Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali among those given time off after the IPL. Ben Foakes will be the third England player making his ODI debut.

Stuart Thompson has been ruled out for Ireland because of a shoulder injury, with former Warwickshire allrounder Mark Adair called up in his place. Adair is one of three Ireland players on debut, alongside 19-year-old left-armer Josh Little and Lorcan Tucker.

Teams: Ireland: 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 Kevin O'Brien, 5 Lorcan Tucker, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 Mark Adair, 8 George Dockrell, 9 Tim Murtagh, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Josh Little

England: 1 James Vince, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Denly, 6 Ben Foakes (wk), 7 David Willey, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Jofra Archer

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Malcolm Brogdon is listed as out for Friday's Game 3 of his team's playoff series against the Boston Celtics, according to the NBA's injury report on Thursday evening. The team could still update his status prior to the game.

Brogdon is looking to return from plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which has kept him sidelined since before the postseason began. In 64 regular-season starts, he averaged 15.6 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting from the field and 42.6 percent from three. He missed the final 13 games of the regular season.

Coach Mike Budenholzer had said earlier that a determination on Game 3 would be made following Thursday's workout. Teammate Sterling Brown noted that Brogdon "looked great" this week.

"Malcolm has made a lot of progress... We're just excited to get him back." #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/205TVJNk2D

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 2, 2019

The National Basketball Players Association issued a statement Thursday in support of Enes Kanter after the Turkish big man took to social media to call out mistreatment from Denver Nuggets fans and the NBA Turkey Twitter account.

"The National Basketball Players Association fully supports our players using their platforms to stand up for their beliefs and the principles they support. We stand with Enes and, as with all of our players, will work to ensure that he is treated fairly and with respect."

After playing a vital role in the Portland Trail Blazers' Game 2 win over the Nuggets on Wednesday, center Kanter was curiously left out of a tweet by the NBA Turkey Twitter account referencing the top performers from the game. Kanter took notice, tweeting his frustration following the game.

What a messed up country lead by #TurkishDictator @RTErdogan
Only Turkish player out here tonight, and the official @NBA for Turkey @NBAturkiye is censoring me. They dont show blazers games in Turkey. The government controls people,this a problem. How can official NBA allow this pic.twitter.com/Zvny0NwF8C

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 2, 2019

Kanter also responded Thursday on Twitter to a heckle from a Nuggets fan during Game 2. After a brief altercation near the end of the game where Kanter and Gary Harris were assessed technical fouls, the crowd chanted "Kanter sucks!" with one fan yelling "Go back to Turkey, oh wait, you can't!"

I wish I could go back to Turkey to see Family ?
But I chose to support Democracy, Freedom and Human rights,
I am grateful for most Americans supporting that right. @nuggets take control of your fans.
This is hurtful ?
Be grateful for the Democracy and Freedom we have here. https://t.co/SMGu9j3qc4

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 2, 2019

In a statement Thursday, the NBA said fans in Turkey could still watch Kanter and the Trail Blazers on NBA League Pass and NBA TV International, and that the league had ended its deal with NBA Turkey Twitter.

"The NBA Turkey Twitter account was managed by a local vendor, and we are terminating that relationship," NBA deputy commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in the news release.

Kanter is effectively banned from returning to his home country and has a warrant out for his arrest in Turkey. In January, officials in Istanbul were seeking a "red notice" through Interpol, asking law enforcement to detain and hand Kanter over to Turkish authorities. Kanter is an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a supporter of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government considers the leader of a terrorist organization.

In Turkey, Kanter's Twitter account has been banned for the last couple of years, and games he plays in have been censored as well. Game 2 against the Nuggets was initially on the schedule to be shown on S Sport Cable Network, which did not end up airing the game.

Kanter's issue with Turkey dates to 2017 when the government cancelled his passport and sought an arrest warrant. Kanter has a green card, but because of the issues with his safety and passport, did not travel to London in January when he was with the Knicks, or to Toronto in February as a member of the Blazers.

Wednesday's incident isn't the first time Kanter has been part of a social media controversy involving his issues with Turkey. Last December, the NBA Europe Instagram put up a post "celebrating the best Turkish talent in the NBA," and had three players shown: Ersan Ilyasova, Cedi Osman and Furkan Korkmaz.

Kanter tweeted about the omission, saying, "Scared to put my name up there lol... U scared little rats." Kanter received an apology from the NBA, and a personal apology from commissioner Adam Silver.

The NBA Europe account put up a corrected post soon after including Kanter, with an apology. Kanter tweeted, "Apology accepted."

PHILADELPHIA -- Kawhi Leonard was sensational Thursday night in the Toronto Raptors' 116-95 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. Pascal Siakam was pretty good, too.

The rest of the Raptors? Not so much.

Of the rest of those Raptors, though, none of them has the experience with the franchise that Kyle Lowry does. Lowry, who finished with seven points on 2-for-10 shooting and was a game-worst minus-28 in 38 minutes, declared the Raptors have to help Leonard out -- especially himself.

"We've got to help him," Lowry told ESPN. "I was literally saying it during the game. We have to help him. He's doing everything he can possibly do offensively and defensively to f---ing win games, and myself, I'm not helping him enough.

"I'm not putting it on nobody else but me."

Meanwhile, a bad night was made worse when Lowry, after boxing out Ben Simmons in the first half, appeared to take an elbow in the groin from Simmons in the first half of Thursday's loss that sent him falling to the ground for several seconds before eventually getting to his feet.

None of the referees appeared to see the play, and the game continued without a stoppage. Lowry has a history with Simmons, as both were ejected from a game in Philadelphia in January and got into a spat late in a game also in Philly last season, but Simmons apologized to Lowry at halftime.

"Yeah, he said it at halftime," Lowry told ESPN. "Said he didn't mean to. Scott [Foster] didn't call it on the floor. It's not like I'm going to dwell on it or bitch about it. It happened. It's over now.

"We got our ass kicked after. It didn't matter."

When asked if Lowry thought the league should review the play for possible retroactive punishment, he told ESPN, "I'm personally not going to dwell on it. We have bigger things to fry than something that happened in the first [half] or whatever."

Those things would, quite specifically, include both Lowry and center Marc Gasol giving them more offensively. For all of the (understandable) talk about Philadelphia's starters entering this series, Toronto's starting five has plenty of star power, as well.

Leonard and Siakam (20 points) did their part. Danny Green (13 points in 34 minutes) wasn't bad, either. Lowry and Gasol, on the other hand -- five- and three-time All-Stars, respectively -- didn't come close to matching the production on their glittering resumes. Both looked passive. Gasol was 2-for-6 and scored seven points while recording a minus-26 in 29 minutes.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia received dominant performances from Joel Embiid (33 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks) and Jimmy Butler (22 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists) and had all five starters finish in double figures.

"We're being unselfish and we have to be more selfish," Lowry told ESPN. "We have to help Kawhi and Pascal, and score more and be a little bit more assertive.

"We're just being very -- we're passive. We're too passive to a fault."

Raptors coach Nick Nurse would agree, as he said after the game the Raptors will have no chance of evening up the series if his team doesn't show up with more effort and energy in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.

"Yeah, I think we got outplayed in just about every area we could get outplayed in," Nurse said. "Just in overall physicality, energy, cutting, rebounding, passing -- you know, all of that kind of stuff -- we got thoroughly outplayed, and it's been a while. Right? It's been a while since we've seen this team play that way.

"I think the first adjustment, we're going to have to make it, I guess we're going to have to play all of them a lot harder. We're going to have to play a hell of a lot more physical. I mean if we don't do that, the prettiest things we decided to do offensively aren't going to matter much."

Besides Leonard -- who was spectacular in defeat, finishing with 33 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as he tried to keep Toronto in the game -- there wasn't much about Toronto's performance that could be described as pretty. Besides Leonard, Siakam and Green, the Raptors were a combined 10-for-36 from the floor -- including 2-for-14 from 3-point range.

Most of that burden, though, falls on Lowry. He is the lone holdover from Toronto's playoff failures over the past several years -- after Dwane Casey was fired and DeMar DeRozan was traded for Leonard last summer.

He has been in this place before. His teams have been down in playoff series. He has been criticized for his play in bad Raptors losses.

He hasn't, though, been in this place when playing alongside Leonard, who Toronto specifically traded for to try lifting the Raptors to places they have never been.

Leonard looked capable of lifting the Raptors on Thursday, just as he has repeatedly throughout this postseason. Siakam, too, has stepped up in his third season in the league. But if the Raptors want to even this series with Philadelphia, they're going to need Lowry to play far better in his hometown in Game 4 on Sunday than he did in Thursday's dud.

"I've got to play better," Lowry told ESPN. "Literally that is the only thing that matters. I have to play better. Nothing else matters. Plus-minus, charges, everything. Nothing else matters. I have to score the ball and play better offensively.

"If I can get close to where I can be, it would be a different series. We might be a little better off than 2-1, but it's been like this all year for me. It's been an up-and-down year for me, and I can't dwell on anything but continue to try to get better at some point.

"Hopefully it'll be Sunday."

PHILADELPHIA -- With his Philadelphia 76ers taking a 2-1 series lead over a Toronto Raptors team led by Kawhi Leonard and his 37.7 points per game so far in the Eastern Conference semifinals, coach Brett Brown was asked a simple question.

When Joel Embiid is healthy, does Brown believe he has the best player in the series on his side?

Brown, taking a swig of water as the question was asked, put down the bottle to answer. "Yes," Brown replied, letting a smile escape from the corners of his mouth.

Embiid certainly looked the part Thursday night, posting 33 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists in Philadelphia's 116-95 win.

After being limited through the first two games, Embiid broke out of the shackles applied by former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol.

He scored 24 points on 6-for-12 shooting when Gasol guarded him Thursday, including 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and 9-for-9 from the foul line, according to ESPN Stats & Information. This came after he scored just six points combined against Gasol on 2-for-11 shooting (0-for-2 from 3 and 1-for-2 on free throws) in Games 1 and 2.

"I'm not really focused on him," Embiid said of Gasol, who finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in Game 3. "Great player, have a lot of respect for him, but it's a team game.

"If I'm open, my teammates are going to find me, and if they're open, I'm going to find them. So I'm not really worried about them, I'm more worried about my team. You know, how we coexist on the court, how we play together."

The Sixers played seamless basketball Thursday, leading by as many as 26 points and never trailing. Outside of Leonard's 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting, Philadelphia held the rest of the Raptors' roster to just 62 points on 36.1 percent from the field.

After Toronto was held to just 89 points in Game 2, Thursday marked the first time the Raptors failed to reach 100 points in consecutive games since Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.

It shouldn't be surprising then that Brown was most impressed by his big man's defense.

"I mean, for me it goes straight to the blocks," Brown said when asked what stood out about Embiid's night. "You know, we can talk about a windmill dunk. You can talk about some finesse post moves and that, but I go to defense. That's what interests me the most to date with this series. ... My mind goes straight there. He is our crown jewel defensively, and I suppose offensively, too. But certainly defensively. And his rim protection and blocking-shot ability tonight stood out as much to me as anything in an incredible performance."

Not that the windmill dunk -- preceded by a catch at the 3-point line and a hard drive down the lane -- that sent the Philadelphia crowd into a tizzy when it put the Sixers up 110-84 halfway through the fourth quarter didn't deserve to be mentioned.

Embiid celebrated the play by running back down the court and opening his 7-foot-6 wingspan in an airplane motion. Earlier in the game, he rocked the baby after hitting a shot from the short corner over Serge Ibaka and jiggled his shoulders after hitting a 3-pointer over Gasol.

"I think for everybody that knows me, I need it," Embiid said of the antics. "When I have fun, my game just changes. I'm always told that if I don't smile during the game, I'm either having a bad game or I'm not into it. So I know that to get my game going, I got to have fun on the court. At the same time I got to make plays, but that part of the theatrics, it has to happen for me.

"And the game is more fun that way. We all have fun as a team. You can see, it lifts my teammates and we all do a good job."

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said he wasn't surprised by what he saw out of Embiid.

"He's a dominant big," Lowry told ESPN. "He played his ass off. He plays even better at home."

The Sixers will get another home game Sunday. A win will put them one win away from the franchise making its first appearance in the conference finals in 18 years. This for a team that went just 10-72 in the 2015-16 season as it played out the controversial rebuild known as "The Process" that was introduced by former general manager Sam Hinkie.

"This is not a good time to talk about 'The Process,'" Embiid said without a hint of irony despite the fact he wore a sweatshirt that had "The Process" printed on it. "Focus on the playoffs and we got a great opportunity up [3-1] on Sunday. We got to take care of business. It's great. It's great. ... Considering what we've been through all these years, we're here. But we got a lot more to give. We have a chance to accomplish something special, and that's what I'm focused on."

And his teammates are focused on the special teammate they have in their midst.

As Jimmy Butler left the locker room late Thursday night wearing a pair of cutoff jeans, Air Jordans and a black tank top, Embiid quipped, "Who let you out of the house like that?"

Butler replied without missing a beat.

"When you're rocking with the best team and you got the best player in the world," he said, "you can wear whatever you want."

PHILADELPHIA -- Both the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers arrived in the 2019 postseason with a deep belief that their respective five-man starting units featured the collective talent to deliver them to the NBA Finals.

Each lineup features a combination of young, homegrown supernovas, recent big-ticket acquisitions and savvy veteran role players. Both units excelled in their limited time together: The Sixers outscored opponents by 17.6 points per 100 possessions with Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid on the floor in the regular season, and the Raptors were 12.2 points per 100 possessions better in the regular season with Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol.

Yet each starting unit is also a relatively unknown entity. Both the Sixers and Raptors starters played only 161 minutes together -- there are movies in wide release with a longer running time. In a league that worships continuity, where championship teams often appear to be telepathic, 161 minutes is hardly enough time to master basic coverages, let alone solidify the kind of rhythm required to win NBA titles.

After sputtering offensively during the first two games of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinals series, the Philly Phive arrived in Game 3 with an emphatic performance, propelling the Sixers' 116-95 win over the Raptors. In their 18 minutes together, they outscored the Raptors 44-32, good for a net rating of 32.5 points per 100 possessions while dominating both ends of the court. Over the course of the action Thursday night, each member of that unit exhibited the best elements of his game.

"When we come down to the offensive end, the evolution of Jimmy [Butler] with the ball, or posting Jo [Embiid], or utilizing Ben [Simmons], bringing JJ [Redick] off screens, making sure Tobias [Harris] -- you know, who can score a bunch of different ways -- is used," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "I think it's evolving."

The 76ers now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday in Philadelphia at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

Philadelphia's starting lineup has undergone a rapid and dramatic change in personnel and approach. When they started to make noise last season with Embiid, Simmons, Redick, along with defensive stopper Robert Covington and versatile big man Dario Saric, the Sixers were the most unorthodox unit in the NBA. Most NBA teams rely on the high pick-and-roll as the staple of their diet, but the Sixers featured a trifurcated playbook: post calls for Embiid, choreographed sets predicated on movement designed to get shots for the likes of Redick, and a down-your-throat transition attack as often as possible.

All that changed when the Sixers swapped Covington and Saric for Butler early in the season, then added Harris at the trade deadline. Butler and Harris were more prolific scorers with conventional games, and each needs possession of the ball to maximize his effectiveness, Butler in particular. At times during the regular season, the fit was fussy, with players, coaches and management acknowledging as much. Butler and Embiid are often most comfortable as solo practitioners; Simmons can be problematic off the ball in the half court; Redick relies on movement; Harris was another newbie who often likes mismatch basketball.

Game 3 was evidence that there's no reason any unit with the Sixers' talent, no matter how odd the fit might seem on the surface, can succeed over 48 minutes. In many respects, the Sixers still feature that trifurcated offense -- the Sixers delineate those buckets now as "Pace, Post and Rub." And all three buckets overflowed with goodness Thursday night.

• Pace: The Sixers didn't generate a ton of transition opportunities in Game 3 but were quite effective on the nine chances they enjoyed. Redick, who is getting the ball a bit less in the half court since the arrivals of Butler and Harris, fanned out to the wing and drilled a couple of 3-pointers. Simmons, forever the catalyst in Philadelphia's transition attack, pushed the ball selectively, a few times after Raptors made buckets. Harris runs like a deer in the open floor, and pressures defenses.

• Post: This will never be Philadelphia's most efficient offense, but Embiid appeared more comfortable in Game 3 working against Gasol, against whom he struggled in Toronto. In Embiid's nine direct post-ups, the Sixers scored eight points.

  "We talked about getting big fella [Joel Embiid] the ball and making him make a lot of plays," Butler said. "Obviously, he is a force to be reckoned with, especially when he is making trey balls like he does, but then attacking the rim at the same time. I think that's how we've got to play, you know: You get the ball to him, he's going to score, make the right play."

  Harris is a more modern power forward but loves nothing more than posting up guards, which he did on four occasions in the first half for four points.

• Rub: Phonetically, "Pace, Post and Rub" has a nice ring to it, but for connotation, rub refers to the majority of the actions the Sixers run in the half court. Rubs include the dribble-handoff action between Embiid and Redick the Sixers have run so effectively over the past two seasons, though they have dropped in frequency.

More prominently, the Sixers have started to run the most common of all NBA playcalls: The good ol' middle pick-and-roll. This is how Butler likes to work, and Embiid is a reasonably effective dance partner (both Butler and Embiid -- and teammates on the court -- are more efficient players when Embiid actually rolls hard). Harris is an underrated ball handler in the pick-and-roll, and flashed glimpses of that in Game 3.

Embiid is unlikely to convert 75 percent of his 3-pointers as he did Thursday night en route to 33 points in 28 minutes. But little else about Philadelphia's offensive package looks like an outlier. By protecting the ball (13 turnovers is a number with which the error-prone Sixers can live), controlling the glass, and getting Embiid to the line, there should be plenty of possessions for the Sixers to spread the love.

Prior to the arrivals of Butler and Harris, the Sixers were an exceptional defensive team even before they were a good offensive one. Losing Covington, one of the NBA's most effective defenders, came at a cost. But Philadelphia's current personnel still gives the versatility to confound opponents -- Toronto's confusion has been on full display the past two games. Fittingly, Philadelphia's starting five overtook Toronto's starters as the most productive unit in the NBA this postseason. The Sixers have now outscored the competition by a gaudy 34.5 points per 100 possessions.

After the game, both Butler and Embiid insisted that chemistry is an overrated virtue. They took objection to the notion a team just getting to know one another can't fully master the tasks of common-sense basketball and win big.

"The way we've been adjusting and the way we've been playing together, I still feel like we have so much potential, especially with Tobias [Harris], Ben [Simmons], JJ [Redick]," Embiid said. "Chemistry is overrated. When you have great basketball players on the floor, it's easy. It's not that complicated. We all -- we're passers, we play slow, we're so unselfish. We understand that it's all about moving the ball."

CLEVELAND -- The Indians decided during the winter their starting pitching would carry them to another October.

Cleveland's ride might end before then.

Corey Kluber's broken right arm might alter the plans for a season the Indians hoped would include a fourth straight AL Central title.

Kluber, 33, suffered a non-displaced fracture Wednesday night when he was struck by a line drive in the fifth inning of a start against Miami. Kluber, who struggled through the season's first month, couldn't avoid the 102 mph comebacker hit by Marlins infielder Brian Anderson. After being nailed, Kluber chased after the ball while his right arm stayed motionless against his side. He swatted the ball with his glove toward the bag before walking dejectedly back to the mound.

Kluber underwent further imaging tests Thursday to determine the length of his absence. The Indians are reviewing those results and will place him on the 10-day injured list. They will provide an update Friday before the opener of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.

Based on the initial diagnosis, and assuming there's no other damage, Kluber is likely to miss more than one month to allow his ulna bone to heal.

The loss of Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, for any time will hurt. He has been among baseball's most consistent pitchers for the past five years, and the Indians are already without starter Mike Clevinger, who is out with a strained upper back muscle.

Without 40 percent of their starting staff, the Indians look vulnerable. They already trail the improved Minnesota Twins by 2½ games, and Cleveland's offense has been in a prolonged slump. The Indians are batting an AL-low .215 and have 111 runs in 29 games.

All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor hasn't taken off after being sidelined to start the season with a sprained ankle, and All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez has yet to break out of a slump that stretches back to August.

When Cleveland's front office chose not to trade Kluber or Trevor Bauer and to reconstruct the team's roster by allowing All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley to leave as a free agent and trading sluggers Edwin Encarnacion, Yonder Alonso and Yandy Diaz, it did so believing the pitching depth would be enough to get the Indians back to the playoffs.

That theory is about to be tested.

Clevinger is still probably a few weeks from returning, although he played catch this week and appears to be ahead of schedule.

The Indians are likely to go to a five-man rotation in May with Jefry Rodriguez getting starts. He has made two starts while filling in for Clevinger and is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Kluber would have started Monday, and manager Terry Francona will either juggle his rotation or reach down to Triple-A Columbus and bring up either Adam Plutko or Cody Anderson.

Plutko opened the season in the minors and has been recovering from a forearm strain. Anderson has missed most of the past two seasons after Tommy John elbow surgery, but the Indians think he could be ready soon.

When Francona went to the mound to check on Kluber, what he saw was alarming.

"It looked ugly," he said.

Right now, it's not the only unpleasant sight for the Indians.