Joel Embiid did everything in Sixers’ Game 6 win against Raptors to force Game 7, just check the plus-minus

Joel Embiid’s 17 points and 12 rebounds don’t even begin to show how important he was in the 76ers’ series-tying, 112-101 win on Thursday night.

Look closer at the box score, and you’ll see he was plus-40 in 35 minutes. That gets closer to characterizing his impact on the game.

“I think his presence was a lot more than his baskets tonight,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

It would not be a stretch to say that when Boban Marjanovic was the first center off the Sixers’ bench, most people were wondering what in the world coach Brett Brown was thinking. For all of Marjanovic’s talents, he does not have the ability to play effectively in this series; the Raptors are too good.

Brown noted that he is still searching for someone to claim the eighth spot in the playoff rotation. Thursday’s action proved that it was not Marjanovic.

“It didn’t help us, obviously,” Brown said. “That was a hard four minutes for Boban.”

Two-and-a-half minutes after the 7-foot-3 Marjanovic entered the game, the Sixers’ three-point lead was gone, and the Raptors were leading, 14-13. Embiid came back in, and the Sixers soared to a 19-point lead.

Marjanovic would spend two more minutes on the floor in the second quarter, during which the Raptors went on a 10-0 run, cutting the Sixers’ lead to seven points. Brown called a timeout, and Marjanovic was done until garbage time at the very end.

The Sixers resorted to a seven-man rotation, electing to play small-ball and get Embiid rest where they could. But it was clear that it would just be short breathers, like the 1:44 he sat midway through the third quarter. Upon reentering the game, Embiid had two quick blocks on Kawhi Leonard, punctuating his defensive presence.

The Sixers needed every bit they could get from Embiid, whether it was fighting for 50-50 balls, setting up teammates, protecting the rim, closing out on shooters, helping on defense, or setting screens. Embiid noted after Game 5 that even if he couldn’t get going offensively, it was going to be the little things that would help the Sixers win.

Brown hinted before the game that he would play Embiid as much as needed, unless the center told him otherwise.

Even when the Sixers had a 19-point lead with six minutes left to play, and Embiid having logged 33 minutes, Brown was taking no chances with the game, and Embiid returned, immediately diving onto the floor for a loose ball.

“It’s they playoffs -- I have to play, I’m going to keep on pushing myself,” Embiid said. “I’m going to need to be on the court, and I intend to be ready for everything, even if I have to play a whole game.”

It’s hard to imagine Brown playing Embiid for 48 minutes, but the Game 6 win proves that he is essential to the team’s success, and they need him to be just as good, if not better, if they want to win Game 7 in Toronto.