Sixers offense disappears late in fourth quarter to hand Game 4 to Raptors

With 6 minutes and 20 seconds left to play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the 76ers and Toronto Raptors were tied, 84-84, and it looked like it was going to be a grind to the very end. Instead, the Sixers let the game get away and the Raptors evened the series, 2-2.

“It was probably a 6-minute, 6 ½-minute drought littered with missed layups, missed free throws, some open threes, sprinkled in with some turnovers,” coach Brett Brown said after the 101-96 loss. “I give Toronto credit.”

Through the latter half of the final period, the Sixers went 3-of-12 from the floor, including 1-of-8 from three-point range. Joel Embiid missed three critical free throws during that time and committed two turnovers down the stretch.

Though Embiid was noticeably under the weather and not his usual self, finishing the night with just 11 points on 2-for-7 shooting, the errors at the end of the game are going to hurt the most when the team looks at the tape tomorrow.

It wasn’t only Embiid, though. A Mike Scott three could have given the Sixers a lead, but he missed. A Tobias Harris three could have brought the Sixers within one point of the Raptors, but he missed, and Ben Simmons missed a tip-in attempt on the play.

“I take ownership of it, missed too many shots that could have helped us win this game,” said Harris, who missed three three-pointers in the final six minutes and finished 2-for-13 on threes, 7-for-23 overall. “A couple of those threes go down, then it would probably be a different feeling and a different vibe.”

Jimmy Butler, a bright spot in the loss, drew a shooting foul and hit both free throws. On the next offensive possession, he had the assist when JJ Redick hit a three to make it a one-point game with 2:07 left to play, but the score would never be that close again.

The Sixers would close out the final two minutes of Game 4 missing five of their seven shots.

“Give Toronto credit, their defense went up a new level," Brown said. "It was a close-out type of fourth period to go win a game.”

It was a step-back three from Kawhi Leonard that was the killer with 1:01 left on the clock and some key defensive plays that kept the Sixers from being able to get what they wanted. The Sixers ended up trying to foul their way out of the hole, but even with a couple of opportunities they still fell short on the offensive end.

“We played hard and tried to make it as tough as we could on them and made some plays there at the end,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

The Sixers’ miscues and missed shots in the final minutes of the game cost them a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Instead, the Sixers now head to Toronto, where the Raptors have regained home-court advantage in this best-of-seven series.

It is clear that these teams are nearly evenly matched and that every minute is going to be crucial. If the Sixers want to have any chance of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they can’t disappear for the final six minutes of the game like they did on Sunday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.