Joel Embiid labors through near-quadruple double, then relishes being The Garden’s villain after Sixers’ win

NEW YORK — Nick Nurse took Joel Embiid out for 72 seconds of the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s Game 5 against the New York Knicks, following a “really, really, really uncharacteristic stretch of plays” that included three turnovers and two missed shots from the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player.

“Just felt like we just had to grab him something,” Nurse said, “to try to at least talk to him [and] give him a minute or two to settle down.”

Embiid concurred with his coach, calling his performance “terrible” while nearly amassing a quadruple double, with 19 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and nine turnovers (plus four blocks). He was fighting through a migraine that kept him out of that morning’s shootaround, prompting his latest “just got to keep fighting” answer when asked about his ongoing health conundrum. But he mustered a key defensive stretch to help the Sixers preserve a 112-106 overtime win to keep their season alive for at least one more game, then gleefully relished his role as the villain in his “favorite city in the world.”

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“They’re always going to pick their guy, and they seemed to have picked me,” said Embiid, noting that he has had a New York City residence for five years. “Which is fine. I love it. If I’ve got to be the punching bag and hear a lot of ‘F Embiid,’ that’s OK.

“It usually gets me going in those situations, because you want to put yourself in those situations and kind of shut them up. But as long as you keep it basketball, they’ve been doing a great job just supporting their team.”

Embiid said he woke up Tuesday with a bad headache, a symptom of the case of Bell’s palsy he has been dealing with for about two weeks. He declined to answer when asked if that lingered during the game. He also clearly continues to labor through the aftermath of his early February meniscus surgery, and had moments when he came up gimpy or walked gingerly down the floor Tuesday.

“I’m OK,” Embiid said. “We won. That’s all I care about.”

But the ailments clearly impacted his effectiveness. He went 7-of-19 from the floor in his lowest scoring output since the late-January night Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg. He acknowledged some carelessness with the ball, though assured the bulk of his turnovers were “good-intentioned” while trying to read the defense and make the right play for a teammate.

But another second-quarter lapse while Embiid rested — the Sixers’ nine-point lead evaporated into a tie in less than three minutes of game action — again demonstrated how much the 7-footer needs to be on the floor. So he shifted to using himself more as a decoy when the Knicks continuously sent double-teams in the post and shot defenders into gaps, a tactical adjustment after Embiid dropped 50 points in the Sixers’ Game 3 victory.

Embiid’s passing when pressured helped All-Star Tyrese Maxey pour in 46 points in an instant-classic performance, and finally unlocked Tobias Harris to finish with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. And though frustration simmered at halftime, after the Sixers connected on just 37% of their shot attempts before the break, Embiid and Nurse said they were generally pleased with the looks they generated.

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“It’s all about, keep trusting it, make or misses,” Embiid said. " … That got a lot of our guys in rhythm. Even if they’re misses, as long as you touch the ball then you shoot it, you’re going to get more opportunities to make the next one.”

An Embiid screen freed Maxey up for his game-tying logo three-pointer to force overtime. Then, as the Sixers seized the lead during that extra frame, Embiid flashed his defensive force. He contested a Josh Hart attempt. He stripped Jalen Brunson for a steal. And he blocked a Brunson layup.

“He can do those things,” Nurse said. “It just didn’t seem like that was going to appear tonight. He obviously was not feeling great. It was a tough game for him. Very difficult. But he found a way to do that stuff. …

“We’ve all seen him do that when he’s super engaged and trying to get a stop. It was good that he finally came up and was able to dig down and do that.”

The victorious result meant Embiid was far less demonstrative while fielding questions at his locker than while parked in the same spot eight nights prior. Following the Sixers’ Game 2 collapse, with his head down to shield his unable-to-blink left eye from the camera lights, Embiid ripped the officiating and proclaimed the Sixers would still win the series despite digging an 0-2 hole.

After Tuesday’s wild win at The Garden, Embiid and his team still have a shot.

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“And we haven’t put it all together yet,” he said. “So I’m hoping that comes next game.”

Because if the Sixers can scratch out one more win Thursday, Embiid will get to sleep in his New York City home the following night — before being serenaded with profanity-laced chants during a winner-take-all Game 7.