Joel Embiid Says 76ers' 4-Game Losing Streak Is 'Taking a Toll on Me'

The Philadelphia 76ers have lost four straight after a 118-108 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Friday.

After the game, 76ers center Joel Embiid told ESPN's Tim MacMahon and other reporters that the losing is "taking a toll" on him.

The streaky 76ers are 23-14 but have three losing streaks of three or more games. They also have five winning streaks of three or more matchups.

The latest losing streak has run the gamut between a letdown against an inferior opponent (versus the Orlando Magic) to a pair of double-digit defeats to playoff-bound teams (the Rockets and Indiana Pacers) to an overtime nail-biter (versus the Miami Heat).

On Friday, the 76ers defense faltered against the potent Houston attack.

The MVP backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook dominated. Harden posted a 44-point triple-double, and Westbrook had 20 points, seven assists and three steals.

Center Clint Capela also outplayed Embiid with a 30-point, 14-rebound performance.

Embiid fared well with 20 points and 12 boards, but he and the rest of the 76ers struggled shooting from the outside en route to a 6-of-27 performance from three-point range.

The 76ers won't be falling out of the playoff picture in an Eastern Conference where the seventh through 15th-place teams have losing records, but Philadelphia's losing skid has put the 76ers in fifth, meaning the team is in danger of losing out on home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The schedule doesn't get much easier either, with five games against teams in the top eight of the Eastern or Western Conference up next. Those include road matchups with the 22-13 Indiana Pacers and 22-12 Dallas Mavericks.

Philadelphia will look to break its losing streak against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.