The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t get the result they were hoping for in Sunday’s Game 4 against the Toronto Raptors, falling 101-96 and into a 2-2 series tie. With the loss, the Sixers handed home-court advantage back to the Raptors and missed a golden opportunity to take a commanding lead in the series.

In a five-point loss, there’s lots you can point to when identifying what turned the tide. Kawhi Leonard continued to torture the Sixers, Kyle Lowry came alive, along with Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, Greg Monroe killed the Sixers in his 11 minutes on the court, Philadelphia’s bench provided little production, and the Sixers missed seven free throws. But what really jumps out is the poor performance of three of Philadelphia’s stars.

Where to start?

Perhaps with the face of the franchise, Joel Embiid. After a dominant showing in Game 3, Embiid looked nothing like himself in Game 4 and gave the Sixers 11 points on just seven shots. He did add eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks and was a team-high +17. But he didn’t have the kind of impactful game the team needs from him, and he suffered a particularly damaging stretch with under six minutes left in the game in which he missed three free throws and committed two turnovers. Considering Embiid revealed that he was hooked up to an IV at 6 AM this morning, his effort is commendable but it’s clear the Sixers need to get Embiid back to health.

His partner in crime and fellow franchise cornerstone, Ben Simmons, did little to help the cause. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists while finishing a -16. He didn’t commit a turnover, but he’s simply too talented to have such little impact on the game, especially with Embiid struggling.

Finally, Tobias Harris hurt the Sixers badly with a 2-13 shooting night from three-point range. Harris led the team with 41 minutes and made a handful of impactful plays. But that 15 percent three-point shooting set Philadelphia back in a big way, especially considering a lot of them were clean looks.

Final Stats ⤵️ Butler 29 PTS / 11 REB / 4 AST

Harris 16 PTS / 6 AST / 3 STL

Redick 19 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST

Embiid 11 PTS / 8 REB / 7 AST

Simmons 10 PTS / 5 REB / 4 AST

Ennis III 9 PTS / 5 REB

Monroe 2 PTS / 3 REB — Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 5, 2019

Jimmy Butler (29 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) and JJ Redick (19 points) tried to pick up the slack, but the lackluster performances from three-fifths of the starting lineup was too much to overcome.

Despite Kawhi Leonard, the improvement from some of Toronto’s supporting cast, the struggles from Philadelphia’s bench, and the missed free throws, the Sixers still had a chance to win the game. The one thing they couldn’t overcome was struggles from three of the team’s stars.

The Sixers will look to bounce back and retake control of the series on Tuesday night in Toronto, where they’ll hope to have all their stars back on their games.