By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Philadelphia 76ers logged three wins to start the best-of-seven series versus the Toronto Raptors but dropped both Game 4 and Game 5. His side now sitting at 3-2, Joel Embiid believes the Sixers can close out the series and advance to the Quarterfinals of the NBA Playoffs.
“We’re fine,” he said after the Game 5 loss at home on Monday, “I mean, it’s the same recipe. Don’t turn the ball over, offensive rebound. We’ve definitely got to be better defensively, more connected.”
“There’s a reason we won three games in a row,” added the Cameroonian big man, “Offensively, we clearly haven’t been ourselves and that’s really been the reason why we gave up these last two games. So we just got to do better.”
Embiid, 28, is expected to undergo surgery following the postseason. Playing through a torn ligament in his right thumb has not affected him, he reassured after Game 5. Posting a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the losing effort does make a strong case.
Korkmaz to stay ready
In Game 5, Turkish Furkan Korkmaz made his first bucket of the series, a three-pointer. After slipping out of the rotation over the last couple of months of the Regular Season, he has been held to six minutes in three appearances against the Raptors.
“Just be ready, just stay ready,” head coach Doc Rivers recently updated his status, “It’s tough because he’s not playing right now. The game may be tomorrow. We were about to put him in the other night. It’s not about what he has to do, right now, he just has to wait his turn.”
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