Sixers-Knicks takeaways: Joel Embiid needed to score more in fourth quarter, rebound better

NEW YORK — Joel Embiid must score more than five points in the fourth quarter.

He can’t go without grabbing a rebound in the crucial quarter. And even though there were some questionable non-calls, the 76ers can’t continue to lose the fight.

Those three things stood out in their 104-101 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Monday night.

Embiid finished with 34 points, a team-high 10 rebounds, and one block in 39 minutes, 6 seconds. He led all scorers through three quarters with 29 points. However, he was lackluster in the fourth quarter of a competitive game.

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That’s when he scored five points on 2-of-6 shooting — including going 0-for-3 on three-pointers — while playing the entire quarter. It’s hard for Embiid to get lift on his jumpers after tweaking his left knee twice in the last week; he returned April 2 after missing two months with a torn meniscus in the knee.

However, he made just 12 of 29 shots — including 2 of 9 three-pointers — in the game. As a result, he has shot below 50% in eight consecutive playoff games.

Embiid’s 10 rebounds were a team high.

The problem is that eight of them came in the first quarter. He grabbed one each in the second and third quarters. However, he failed to grab one in the fourth. That’s when the Knicks collected four offensive rebounds. One of those rebounds — Isaiah Hartenstein’s with 15.8 seconds remaining — led to Donte DiVincenzo hitting a three-pointer to put New York up, 102-101, with 13.1 seconds left. Again, Embiid is dealing with a knee issue. But with him out there, he has to grab at least one rebound in the final quarter of a close game.

Losing the 50/50 balls, poor execution down the stretch, and surrendering crucial rebounds to the Knicks led to the Sixers’ loss.

When it mattered the most, New York gained kept getting 50/50 balls. The Knicks also closed out the game on an 8-0 run in the final 27.4 seconds. During that time, the Sixers missed their final two shots and had poor execution and decision making.

There were several missed calls, and Nurse has a solid argument about not being able to get timeouts called. But down the stretch, the Knicks looked like they wanted it more.