Things got testy during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, and there were some aspects of the friction Pascal Siakam did not appreciate.
Siakam scored 34 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists as his Raptors won 110-102 to avoid elimination. Late in the game, Joel Embiid was frustrated and gave Siakam a hard foul in order to stop play.
Embiid can't handle Pascal putting up a playoff career-high 34 points.#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/az0Yz8xj7C
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) April 23, 2022
That may have been one of the incidents that bothered Siakam.
The Raptors forward said after the game that he did not like the “dirty plays.”
Siakam on those plays with Embiid in the 4th: "I'm a competitor. I love competing. This is the playoffs, the highest level. I'm cool with the talking, I just don't want those dirty plays. I don't like that. Keep it basketball… At the end of the day, it's all fake toughness"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 23, 2022
“I’m a competitor. I love competing. This is the playoffs, the highest level. I’m cool with the talking, I just don’t want those dirty plays. I don’t like that. Keep it basketball… At the end of the day, it’s all fake toughness,” Siakam said, via TSN 1050’s Josh Lewenberg.
Embiid wasn’t happy either. He felt the officials called a slanted game to extend the series. He even gave a gesture after the game indicating his feelings (seen here).
Toronto may have been able to avoid the sweep, but they still trail 3-1 in the series. Game 4 is on Monday in Philly. Embiid will undoubtedly be motivated to close it out.
