The Sixers will still have work to do when they arrive back in Philadelphia.
The team was unable to sweep its first-round playoff series against the Raptors on Saturday afternoon in Toronto, falling to a 110-102 loss at Scotiabank Arena.
Pascal Siakam scored 34 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 24.
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James Harden led the Sixers with 22 points and nine assists. Joel Embiid had 21 points and eight rebounds.
Game 5 will be Monday night at Wells Fargo Center. Here are observations on the Sixers' first loss of this postseason:
Uncomfortable outing for Embiid
Embiid played through an injury that, for the time being, the Sixers are calling a “right thumb sprain.”
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters in Toronto that the team knows he can’t make things worse by playing, but that it’s “not a great injury.”
Embiid started Saturday’s game 0 for 5 from the floor. On a positive note, Embiid and the Sixers were initially much better at avoiding turnovers than during their messy start to Game 3; the team had just one first-quarter giveaway.
Embiid threw a nice pass from the nail to Shake Milton in the corner, and Milton’s three-pointer made it 16-13 Sixers. However, Milton and Embiid weren't aligned on two occasions when the big man believed the 25-year-old guard would remain stationary on his post-up, not begin shifting to a new location. Embiid had a bit more offensive success in the second quarter, although his thumb pain was readily apparent.
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For good reason, the Raptors weren’t reluctant to swat at the ball and do anything possible to increase Embiid’s discomfort. While Embiid has proven he doesn’t mind plowing through contact and enduring long, physical games full of double teams, he voiced his displeasure when he received no foul call on a layup early in the third quarter. Rivers was unhappy, too.
Embiid tossed a cross-court pass on his next catch, resulting in an easy fast-break hoop for Trent. Under these circumstances, sticking to simple, low-risk plays is difficult. To Embiid’s credit, he retained his composure and made a basic, productive dish to Tyrese Maxey for a three that cut the Raptors’ lead to 64-63.
Though he hit two tough fadeaways in the third quarter, the lack of expected whistles seemed to wear on Embiid. We'll surely learn more in the coming days about Embiid's injury and the extent to which it will impact the team's most important player.
Sixers can't stay steady
For a couple of minutes, it appeared Paul Reed’s scoring would enable the Sixers to hold up fine in their first stint without Embiid.
Reed made his first three-pointer since a March 10 garbage-time jumper, then spun past Thaddeus Young and converted a layup on the Sixers’ next possession. The Raptors began to take control with Embiid on the bench, though. Siakam banked in a fortunate shot over Reed, and Trent’s pull-up jumper gave Toronto a 38-32 edge.
The Sixers attempted to steady the ship when Embiid re-entered by playing some zone, but they didn’t rebound well and had several clear defensive breakdowns. Chris Boucher cut behind Tobias Harris in the zone and slammed home a dunk. Trent then got free in transition following a Maxey turnover and buried a three-pointer to extend the Raptors’ lead to 12 points.
Twelve seconds into the third quarter, the Sixers’ deficit was down to two points following a Danny Green three. Shortly after, Harris tied the game at 54-all with a drive and lefty finish. Harris continued his strong series with an impressive start to the afternoon that included a fast-break finger roll and step-back corner three.
However, Harris and the Sixers weren't nearly as successful defensively on Siakam as in Game 3. After a high-effort, nimble sequence, Harris was assessed his fifth foul on a Siakam jump shot with 7:56 left in the fourth period.
Harden dropped to 3 for 11 from the floor in the third quarter by missing an open floater. He opened the fourth nicely, knocking down a short jumper and two free throws, but Siakam's aggression and Toronto's superior pace helped the Raptors go up 88-81, leading Rivers to call timeout.
Maxey came back from a five-turnover, one-assist Game 3 with six dimes and only one giveaway. He had his lowest scoring output of the series, though, recording 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting.
The Sixers again used an eight-man rotation but cut Green's minutes to 28 after he played 46 in Game 3. Georges Niang fouled out in 22 minutes. Matisse Thybulle, who'd been ineligible to play in Canada because he's not fully vaccinated, will be available again for Game 5. He should certainly be helpful.
Raptors battle through their own health problems
Scottie Barnes, who was announced before the game as this season’s Rookie of the Year, returned from a left ankle sprain suffered in Game 1.
Barnes was one of several players obviously operating at less than 100 percent health, and it seemed his afternoon might end prematurely when he stepped on Reed’s foot early in the second quarter. The 20-year-old stayed in the game, though, and he posted six points and 11 rebounds. Barnes played 26 minutes, none in the fourth quarter.
Fred VanVleet’s health was a major question for the Raptors heading into the series because of his lingering right knee issue and statistical decline since the All-Star break. He ripped his jersey exiting the court in the second quarter, then was evaluated for left hip pain at halftime and eventually ruled out with a hip strain.
Siakam and Trent carried Toronto’s first-half offense, totaling 33 points before intermission. Down an All-Star guard, the Raptors stayed alive by playing to their strengths. They bested the Sixers in points off turnovers (22-3) and fast-break points (21-10) by substantial margins.
VanVleet had shot poorly since a hot start to Game 2. Regardless of his availability moving forward, Toronto has shown that it's a resilient team and a Sixers series win isn't cemented quite yet.