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Joel Embiid’s horrid shooting, selfish team play and inability to stop Trae Young after intermission | Sixers vs. Hawks best/worst

Young had 25 points and 18 assists. Seventeen of his points came in the second half.

Sixers center Joel Embiid fouls Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during the first quarter in Game 4.
Sixers center Joel Embiid fouls Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during the first quarter in Game 4.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

ATLANTA — The 76ers were fortunate they still had a chance. On a night when their franchise player could not make a second-half field goal and they forgot how to share the ball, they were lucky to lose by only three points, 103-100.

Now, they must look to regroup from Monday night’s Game 4 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The series is tied at two games apiece.

Here are the best and worst awards from Game 4:

Best performance

Trae Young gets this. The Hawks point guard had 25 points to go with 18 assists. Seventeen of his points came in the second half.

Worst performance

Joel Embiid gets this. I couldn’t avoid giving this to the Sixers center even on a night he finished with 17 points and a game-high 21 rebounds. He gets this for missing 16 of 20 shots. He went 0-for-12 in the second half, including missing a potential go-ahead layup with 8.8 seconds to go.

Best defensive performance

This goes to Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks reserve was on the floor for only 6 minutes, 21 seconds. Yet he recorded a team-high two blocks.

Best statistic

This goes to the Hawks’ outscoring the Sixers, 21-9, in second-chance points.

Worst statistic

This goes to Embiid’s second-half shooting. It’s hard to miss all 12 of your shots.

Worst of the worst

This goes to the Sixers’ lack of ball movement and selfish play. That’s one of the major reasons they were unable to overcome their struggles. As Doc Rivers said postgame, the Sixers were playing “hero ball.”