Sixers vs. Celtics Game 6 takeaways: Sixers crumbling, lacking trust, Joel Embiid standing by

The 76ers crumbled under the bright lights.

Their trust in one another came into question.

And Joel Embiid, the newly-minted MVP and first-team All-NBA selection, was a bystander with the game on the line.

Those were three takeaways from the Sixers’ 95-86 Game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinal at the Wells Fargo Center.

» READ MORE: Jayson Tatum simply needed a little ‘love’ to snap out of his slump, stun the Sixers and force Game 7

It was a close-out opportunity the Sixers didn’t exactly come amped to play in. The team shot 36.1% - including going 8 of 34 on three-pointers. And the Sixers struggled to make shots from the start, shooting 28% in the first quarter. During that time, Embiid, James Harden and Tobias Harris combined to shoot 2-for-15.

But the Sixers really struggled in the fourth quarter, making just 5 of 20 shots. They were 0-for-8 on threes.

So what went wrong for the Sixers offensively, especially down the stretch?

“I think it was three things: we missed open shots,” Embiid said. “We didn’t make them. We stopped moving the ball. And I don’t think I touched the ball in the last four minutes of the game. Like I said, we missed a lot of good looks and I didn’t touch the ball at all.”

Following their Game 5 victory, the Sixers were talking about how they developed trust in each other.

But that wasn’t the case in Game 6, according to coach Doc Rivers.

“I don’t think we trusted very well,” Rivers said.

The coach noted that the Sixers didn’t make their shots. He didn’t like how they played offensively down the stretch.

“I just didn’t think we had a game with great trust tonight,” Rivers said. “I thought our guys all wanted to win. They play that way, and sometimes I think that gets in your way. And I thought that happened tonight.”

Harden disagreed with Rivers about the lack of trust.

“There was some trust. We just didn’t make shots,” said the point guard, who finished with 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting (0-for-6 on threes) along with nine assists, seven rebounds , three steals, one block and five turnovers. “Like if we make a couple shots, we celebrate, and it’s a different ballgame.

“Look at the film. It’s simple.”

» READ MORE: James Harden cost the Sixers Game 6; blames refs. He faces a do-or-die Game 7.

The Sixers must have forgotten that Embiid is the best player in the league. While that statement is kidding, it would be the only logical explanation for why he didn’t touch the ball late in the game.

Embiid finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. He scored six points on 3-for-6 shooting in the fourth quarter.

However, Embiid only had two shot attempts - both misses - in the final 5 minutes, 39 seconds. His last one game came with the Sixers down, 84-83, with 3:56 to play. The Sixers were outscored 11-3 afterward.

“We didn’t move the ball,” Embiid said “The offense stalled and we’re pretty good when we move the ball. We play with each other and the ball goes side to side. We get into our sets. Like I said, I gotta be more demanding, but we kind of went away from what was working at the beginning of that fourth quarter, but as a big, it’s hard to go get the ball and just create for yourself, but I just gotta go get it.”

Best performance: This goes to Marcus Smart. The Celtics point guard finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Worst performance: De’Anthony Melton gets this. The sixth man failed to score a point while missing all five of his shot attempts, including four three-pointers.

Best defensive player: Tobias Harris gets this. The Sixers forward finished with two blocks and two steals and being active.

Worst statistic: Boston forward Jayson Tatum’s shooting through the first three quarters. He shot 1-for-13 from the field.

Best statistic: Tatum’s fourth-quarter production. He had 16 points on 4-for-8 shooting to outscore the Sixers by three points in the fourth.