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3 Observations: Embiid’s Game-Winning 3 in Overtime Gives Sixers 3-0 Series Lead

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Published21 Apr 2022

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff Writer 3 Observations: Embiid's Game-Winning 3 in Overtime Gives Sixers 3-0 Series Lead

The Philadelphia 76ers took a gut punch in the first half but responded, extending their series lead to 3-0 with a 104-101 win in Game 3 in front of a hostile crowd at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night.

Joel Embiid scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey added in 19 points and four rebounds. The Sixers were able to win the game despite committing 22 turnovers.

The Sixers were without Matisse Thybulle (ineligible to play) and Charles Bassey (right shoulder sprain). The Raptors were without Scottie Barnes, although it seems he might be making his return to the court in Game 4.

The Raptors were led by 26 points from OG Anunoby, 24 points from Gary Trent Jr. and 20 points and six rebounds from Precious Achiuwa off the bench.

This was a character-building win for the Sixers, who went through a ton of struggles in the first half before fighting through to get the win. They have a chance to sweep the Raptors. Game 4 is on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Here are three observations from a wild Game 3:

Embiid's signature moment

The Sixers needed their MVP candidate to step up in the second half, and that is what Embiid did. After struggling in the first half, Embiid picked things up in the third quarter. He scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in the third quarter alone. The Raptors continued running a ton of double and triple teams at Embiid, but the big fella did a much better job handling them in the second half. He had multiple highlight moments, including a powerful slam dunk over Pascal Siakam midway through the third quarter.

Embiid played a major role in helping the Sixers claw back from being down 10 points at halftime. The Toronto crowd was wild, booing him whenever he touched the ball. He responded by getting the last laugh in both the second half and overtime. He knocked down a plethora of difficult shots in key moments, but none was more important and unbelievable than the game winner with .8 seconds left in overtime.

Head coach Doc Rivers should receive a ton of credit for both calling a timeout to save that Sixers possession and drawing up that play to get Embiid a relatively clean look off a fantastic screen from Tobias Harris. The shot capped off a wonderful stretch of basketball from Embiid throughout the second half and overtime. He knocked down multiple clutch shots to keep the Sixers close, including a three at the end of the shot clock midway through the fourth quarter and a turnaround jumper out of the post midway through overtime, before achieving the signature moment of his career thus far. He quieted the rabid Toronto crowd with a revenge shot to win Game 3 in similar fashion to how Kawhi Leonard's buzzer beater ended the Sixers season back in 2019. It was a crowning moment in what has truly been an MVP season from Embiid.

Sixers weather rough first half, Toronto's intensity

The Raptors brought a ton of intensity while doing a good job disrupting the Sixers' offense early on. From a combination of intense Toronto defense and some incredibly sloppy offense, the Sixers committed 14 turnovers in the first half resulting in 21 points for the Raptors. Everything the Sixers had done well in the first two games of the series, from playing clean, turnover-free offense to rebounding and preventing Toronto from getting out in transition, was flipped in the first half.

For as good as Embiid was in the second half and overtime, he was equally bad in the first half. Possessions where the team attempted to feed him in the post were awful. It was one of the worst halves of basketball seen from Embiid this season. He scored just five points while turning the ball over four times.

The Raptors at one point in the first half had a 17-point lead, but the Sixers fought back to cut the lead down to 10 at the half. James Harden, who finished the game with 19 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, played a key role in helping the Sixers keep the game from completely unraveling.

Harden found the right balance of attacking and facilitating. He had good burst to the rim, and the Sixers did a good job of using Maxey screens to get him switched onto a mismatch whether it be Fred VanVleet or Gary Trent Jr. He had one of his more efficient shooting games, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range. When he was not attacking a mismatch, he did a good job driving and kicking it out to the corner for open threes.

One of the only negatives from Harden's performance in Game 3 was his foul trouble. The Sixers had to play without him in overtime because he fouled out with 27.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Another thing the Sixers did to help turn the tide in the first half was switching to a zone defense. The Raptors struggled against it in the first half and it bought the Sixers some time to try to cut into the deficit. The Sixers, due to a combination of certain players stepping up, not losing confidence and a dominant second-half performance from Embiid, were able to win Game 3 despite receiving the Raptors' best effort of this series.

Harris quietly steps up

There has been a ton of talk about how Harris has adjusted to become the glue guy for the Sixers. He continued to step up in a multitude of ways in Game 3. In the first two games of the series he played more of a prominent role as a scorer. In Game 3, he made the gritty hustle plays on both ends of the floor.

Not enough can be said about his defensive effort throughout the series, but especially in Game 3. He is playing some of the most locked in defense of his career.

Harris' defense this series, especially on Pascal Siakam (he finished with 12 points on 6-of-16 shooting), has been critical to the Sixers' overall success. He poured in a lot of work on that end of the floor and it is great to see it pay off in the playoffs.

In addition to his defensive effort, Harris came up with a few timely buckets and grabbed 12 rebounds. He nearly won the game in regulation for the Sixers by skying up for an offensive rebound and nearly making a floater as time expired. While he might have only scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, he played a major role in helping the Sixers get the win. If the Sixers can consistently receive this level of play from him, they will be in great shape heading deeper into the playoffs.