LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 05: NBA analysts Kenny Smith (L) and Charles Barkley laugh during a live telecast of “NBA on TNT” at CES 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
At halftime of tonight’s Game 5 matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat, Joel Embiid has just six points and two rebounds.
It’s clear the regular-season scoring champion wasn’t feeling all there in the first two quarters. He rarely touched the ball on the offensive end, and when he did he struggled with turnover issues.
NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley believes Embiid’s poor first half came as a result of losing the regular-season MVP trophy to Nikola Jokic.
“Joel Embiid is so distracted, in my opinion, by this MVP thing,” Barkley explained. “He’s not there tonight. He’s not being aggressive. He’s throwing the ball away.
“When you’re mad about something, it can work both ways. It’s working the wrong way for Joel Embiid tonight.”
To be fair to Embiid, injury issues may have also played a role in his first-half struggles.
The Sixers’ superstar big man came up holding his lower back after diving into the crowd for a loose ball in the first quarter. Later on, he took a ball to the face and aggravated the right orbital fracture that kept him off the court for Games 1 and 2. He’s also still dealing with a torn ligament in his thumb he suffered during the first round of the postseason.
During the halftime break, head coach Doc Rivers told TNT sideline reporter Chris Haynes that they’ll look to “force feed” the ball to Embiid in the second half.
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