Late in the fourth quarter on Saturday, visibly frustrated Philadelphia 76ers pivot Joel Embiid gave Pascal Siakam a good shoulder swipe.
Siakam, en route to his best playoff performance, had 34 points and the Toronto Raptors defeated the 76ers 110-102, to avoid elimination in the first round of the playoffs.
After being shut out in the second half of the last game, Siakam worked hard for all his points, attacking Embiid head-on throughout the game.
” Resilient. He’s always been a resilient player, Thaddeus Young said of his teammate. He will always face adversity. He knows his strengths. He knows how to bounce back and take his game up a notch after an ordinary game. That’s exactly what he did. »
The fifth duel of this best-of-seven series will take place Monday night in Philadelphia.
Gary Trent Jr. had 24 points, Thaddeus Young had 13, and OG Anunoby added 11 for the Raptors, who went more than half the game without injured star point guard Fred VanVleet.
Scottie Barnes, who was just named NBA Rookie of the Year, finished the game with six points and 11 rebounds for the Torontonians. He had missed the last two games with a sprained left ankle.
James Harden had 22 points for the 76ers. Joel Embiid, who played despite a thumb injury, contributed offensively with 21 points.
With the Raptors leading by 17 points on Wednesday before suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss, Game 4 was close from the start.
Toronto’s squad built a 12-point lead in the second quarter, but the 76ers cut the lead to 80-77 heading into the fourth quarter.
After the visitors cut the lead to a single point, the Raptors responded with six straight points and took a 14-point lead with 3:28 remaining.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse gave his substitutes time with 79 seconds left in the game. Meanwhile, the crowd was shouting “Raptors in 7!” »
Embiid then applauded the referees ironically.
“To me, it looks like they just had one goal in mind coming here tonight. And they achieved it. So kudos to them,” Embiid said.
When asked if he implied the referees were trying to force a Game 5, he said, “I don’t know… But you can figure it out. »
No team in NBA history has erased a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Thirteen NBA teams, however, rallied as they trailed 3-1 to advance to the next round. The Denver Nuggets have achieved the feat twice in 2020.
VanVleet, who missed 13 games down the stretch this season with a right knee injury, left Saturday’s game in the second quarter with a sprained left hip.