Doc Rivers addresses Joel Embiid feeling fatigued late vs. Celtics
CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers convened for a film session on Monday before heading back up to the TD Garden for Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. They are heading back to Boston with a 2-2 series after they picked up a thrilling Game 4 win on Sunday afternoon.
Joel Embiid had himself a huge day going for 34 points and 13 rebounds, but he had to play 46 minutes and he looked tired in the fourth quarter. He got blocked twice by Al Horford late in regulation and he looked a bit gassed before a pep talk from PJ Tucker got him going again.
“I struggled a little bit in that fourth quarter, but I got myself back and going,” Embiid admitted after the win. “I just had no lift in the fourth quarter. The other day was my first time really going up and down. Tonight, playing a lot of minutes got to me towards the end, but I got it back in overtime and started being aggressive again. Obviously, had no lift with the brace and all, but we made the plays when we needed them.”
Coach Doc Rivers addressed Embiid at the moment as Philadelphia continues to push him as much as they can.
“Unfortunately for him, it’s the cost of doing business when you’re not healthy,” said Rivers on Monday. “So I think we’ll monitor that part, obviously. If we think he can’t perform because of that, we’ll make a change. Listen, they played seven and a half. We played six and a half guys. I think that’s where we’re at right now.”
Rivers did shorten his rotation on Sunday as he did not turn to Jalen McDaniels. The Sixers understand they need to rely on everybody at this moment, but when considering what’s at stake, they will look to their stars to lead the way.
“No, but if we need to, we’re ready to do that,” Rivers said of expanding the rotation. “Like if somebody got in foul trouble or if one of the guys that we’re playing wasn’t playing efficiently enough, we’re ready to pull the trigger for the other guys. We have a team and there’s gonna be nights when you play six guys. There’s gonna be nights where you may need nine and everybody has to be ready to play.”
A critical Game 5 is Tuesday back in Boston.
