Joel Embiid Says 76ers 'Playing Scared' During Home Losing Streak

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid said Friday the Sixers were "playing scared" during back-to-back home losses to the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks this week.

Philly was 14-0 at the Wells Fargo Center before a four-point loss to the Heat on Wednesday and a 19-point blowout Friday at the hands of the Mavs, who were without Luka Doncic.

"I feel like, especially tonight, we were playing scared," Embiid told reporters. "Basketball is easy. You just shoot it, pass it, move it. If you don't got a shot, just pass it. But tonight, like I said, we didn't make shots, and defensively we were pretty bad."

The two-time All-Star was asked to expand on those thoughts, and he discussed players passing up open shots:

"Yeah. I felt like tonight we had a few open looks, [and] you just got to shoot it. But then again, it's also a balance; that's what I've been dealing with. You got a lot of people telling you to be aggressive and all that, and obviously you don't want to be selfish, but at the end of the day if you got to make something happen, you got to, especially if you feel like you have a look.

"In those situations, if you're wide-open, or if you're open, just shoot it. We're going to get an offensive rebound, or we're going to make something happen."

Embiid shined against the Mavericks, connecting on 12 of 24 shots for 33 points with 17 rebounds in 33 minutes. No other 76ers player scored more than 12 points or took more than 11 shots.

The Sixers can't afford to watch their home dominance slip away without a serious uptick in their road performance, as they are only 6-8 in away games. Philadelphia dropped to sixth in the Eastern Conference with its 20-10 record after Friday's loss, but the 76ers are only one game behind second in the congested East.

Embiid and the 76ers will look to get back on track Saturday night when they welcome the struggling Washington Wizards to the Wells Fargo Center for a 7 p.m. ET tip.