NBA Eastern Conference semifinals: Joel Embiid sends hard-hitting advice for teammate James Harden ahead of game 4

Joel Embiid has sent out a message for stuggling teammate James Harden after Boston Celtics defeated Philadelphia 76ers by 114-102 and took a 2-1 lead in the series on Friday.

"I mean, you just talk to him and you keep telling him to keep shooting. Be aggressive. Can't get too high, can't get too low. Some nights you're going to make lots of other shots, a lot of tough ones, and some nights you're not going to make them. So it's about finding other ways to impact the game," said Embiid as quoted by ESPN.

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Since a brilliant performance in 76ers win in game 1 of Eastern Conference semifinals, Harden has struggled in game 2 and game 3. In game 2, Harden's shooting was 2-for-14 on Wednesday night and a 3-for-14 in game 3 on Friday. Clearly, 5-for-28 shooting in last two games is not up to the mark by Harden's standards.

Meanwhile, Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon highlighted the startegy against Harden which has helped his team get the lead after game 1 defeat.

"We're purposefully making it hard on him. He came out in Game 1 and won them that game and played terrific. We don't want him to play like that anymore, so we got to be as physical as we can with him. Force him into tough shots, make him uncomfortable and really learn to compete, said Brogdon as quoted by ESPN.

Heading into game 4 on Sunday, Embiid talked about what 76ers need to do to prevent a resurgent Celtics from winning their third consecutive match.

"I think players have to show up. I got to do my job. All the guys, everybody knows their role, they have to do their job. Players have to show up. Obviously, you can make any adjustments you want. But if the players don't execute, they don't show up and we don't make shots, that's on us, said Embiid.

"I got to be better. We all got to be better. We just haven't been good enough the last two games. No sense of urgency ... it's the small things. We've been fine guarding them in the half court. It's loose ball situations, offensive rebounds, and they knock down a 3 or they score off of it and it just changes everything," he added.

In game 3 on Friday, Embiid delivered the best peformance for 76ers as he finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum was the star for Celtics as he finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the game.

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