Joel Embiid CALLS OUT James Harden and 76ers teammates after loss to Celtics in Game 3
Embiid sounded off on his team's Game 3 loss to the Celtics, urging his teammates to show up.
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Joel Embiid (via NY Post)
The Philadelphia 76ers had a rough Game 3 of the series against the Boston Celtics. Playing at home, the 76ers were coming off a loss in Boston with the series tied 1-1. Following his Game 1 heroics, James Harden has struggled quite a bit as he had another disappointing game. Joel Embiid, on the other hand, had yet another impressive time on the court as he made a significant presence on the scorer’s list. Game 3 was also the night when Embiid finally picked up the NBA MVP award for the 2022-23 season after continuous hustle for his side.
Boston came out all guns blazing as the visitors put up their formidable teamwork on display. Jayson Tatum was the top scorer for the Celtics, with 27 points, as he has been on so many occasions. Jaylen Brown and Al Horford chipped in with their key contributions to support Tatum as they put up 23 and 17 points, respectively. On the flip side, Joel Embiid was almost a one-man show for Philadelphia as he had a 30-point game. The Boston Celtics won Game 3 with the score 114-102 at the end of regulation, making the series 2-1.
Apart from Joel Embiid, the 76ers’ roster had a pretty dormant game, as no other player managed to score above 20 points. James Harden scored 16 points but had a nightmarish evening with his shooting. The guard went 3-14 from field goals and 2-7 from the three-point line. Many say that if Harden played more actively, the 76ers could have defended their home court.
Embiid spoke about their disappointing performance at the post-game interview and urged his teammate to start doing their jobs. “I think players have to show up. I gotta do my job. All the guys, everybody knows their roles they have to do their jobs. Players have to show up. Obviously, you can make any adjustments you want but if the players don’t execute and they don’t show up and we don’t make shots, that’s on us,” he said.
Embiid further said that he and his teammates have to play better and make the needed adjustments. “I got to be better. We all got to be better. We just haven’t been good enough the last two games. No sense of urgency … it’s the small things. We’ve been fine guarding them in the halfcourt. It’s loose ball situations, offensive rebounds, and they knock down a three or they score off of it, and it just changes everything,” he concluded.
How is the Celtics-76ers series shaping up?
The series between the two Eastern Conference juggernauts started out with a stellar show by the 76ers guard James Harden. However, since then, he has managed to shoot an average of 17.9% in Games 2 and 3. Harden is undoubtedly one of the most crucial players for Philly. Other than being a prolific scorer, he is also dependable with taking some weight off of Joel Embiid’s shoulder. However, that was not the case in Game 3, as Boston has now taken a 2-1 series lead.
The Philadelphia 76ers will get a chance to tie the series 2-2 in Game 4, playing at home. That will be a rather crucial game for Embiid and Co., as if they lose, the Celtics will be one win away from eliminating them from title contention.
The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been extremely deadly for any opposition, and they will look to outscore the 76ers yet again. Game 4 between the two teams will be played on May 07th (US). While Philly will look to make square it off at home, Boston would want to push for a 3-1 series lead.
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