Joel Embiid, Sixers call for consistency after another blown lead: ‘We’ve got to learn how to finish’

TORONTO — The 76ers have a problem holding leads. It nearly reared its head Tuesday night against the undermanned Indiana Pacers.

That’s when they almost blew a 27-point, third-quarter lead in their 131-122 victory at Indianapolis.

The Pacers (25-55) pulled within four points with 8 minutes, 53 seconds remaining before the Sixers (49-30) responded with an 11-0 run en route to their eight-point victory.

» READ MORE: Best and worst from Sixers-Pacers: Joel Embiid’s 12th 40-and-10 game, Tyrese Maxey’s three-point barrage and more

“We’ve got to learn how to finish,” Joel Embiid said. “There’s no reason why the starters should have played in the fourth. I felt like coming in from halftime, we didn’t keep our foot on the gas. We tried to extend a lead to make sure that we don’t play in the fourth. So those are the next steps.”

The plan was for the Sixers’ starters to get rest in the final quarter and cruise to a one-sided victory. It looked like that was bound to be an attainable goal for a little over three quarters.

They outscored the Pacers 49-28 in the second quarter to take a commanding 82-59 halftime lead. They appeared unstoppable in the first half, making a season-high 17 three-pointers. And the starters extended their lead to 27 points (90-63) on James Harden’s three-pointer 1:27 into the second half.

The starting lineup did its part. The Sixers’ problems began when their reserves entered the game around the 7:20 mark in the third quarter.

They held a 16-point lead when DeAndre Jordan subbed in for Embiid with 1:52 left in the third. That lead shrunk to eight points by the end of the quarter.

The Sixers then opened the fourth with a lineup of Harden, Jordan, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, and Shake Milton, and the Pacers continued to chip away at the their cushion.

Perhaps luckily for the Sixers, Embiid was forced to return with 9:19 left after Jordan was ejected for committing a flagrant foul 2 on Duane Washington Jr.

Washington went on to split a pair of foul shots before draining a three-pointer to close the gap to 113-109. Sparked by Embiid’s presence, the Sixers awoke from their slumber and responded with an 11-0 run to get a little breathing room.

They held on despite being outscored 63-49 after intermission and committing nine of their 16 turnovers during that time.

“It’s always great to get a win,” Harris said, “but we know we have to be better in the second half.”

On this night, the Sixers’ starters were a combined plus-60. Their reserves — Green (minus-10), Milton (plus-1), Georges Niang (plus-5), and Jordan (minus-11) — were a combined minus-15.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid’s 45 points, 13 rebounds lift Sixers over Pacers, 131-122

But blowing leads is nothing new to the Sixers. They relinquish them as frequently as Embiid, who’s averaging a league-best 30.4 points, posts dominant performances.

They blew leads in each of their last five losses. They blew an eight-point, third-quarter lead during a 102-94 loss to the struggling Detroit Pistons on March 31. They had double-digit leads in each of their four losses before that and dropped games to the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, and Denver Nuggets.

“It’s all about the focus,” Embiid said. “We’ve got to make sure we follow the same rules that got us the lead in the first place. So I think defensively we’ve just got to be sound and have the same focus.”

They’ll look to correct things Thursday night against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.

This game against an Atlantic Division foe and possible Eastern Conference playoff opponent will mark Green’s first regular-season game in Toronto since helping the Raptors win the 2019 NBA title. The reserve swingman is scheduled to receive his championship ring before the game.

“It’s way past due at this point, it’s finally,” Green said of receiving his ring. “I missed the [Sixers game in Toronto] in December. I’m not missing this one.”

Green missed that trip after entering health and safety protocols for COVID-19. Since winning that 2019 championship, Green won another title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. He was unable to receive his Raptors ring as a member of the Lakers because their scheduled game in Toronto was after the March 2020 shutdown. Last season, the Raptors played their games in Tampa, Fla., because of COVID restrictions in Canada.

The Raptors and Green agreed to hold off on his ring presentation until it was possible to celebrate with a full-capacity crowd in Toronto.