Tuesday was a rough night for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. After beating the Miami Heat twice in Philly to tie up the second-round series at two games apiece, the Sixers got absolutely demolished in Game 5, taking home a 120-85 loss that has them on the brink of elimination.

There weren't any real bright spots for this game, with Embiid's mere 17 points leading the way. The Sixers center is battling through multiple injuries, and he got whacked in the face during Game 5 that only added more pain. Despite Embiid's valiant effort to play through this pain, he received some criticism from the likes of Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith for the ugly performance, including weird takes about losing out on MVP.

Afterward, Embiid acknowledged the “lose-lose” reality of the situation when it comes to playing hurt:

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

The Sixers center is on the money here, and it's unfortunate that he's right. There should be absolutely no slander aimed at Embiid right now given what he's playing through. He first suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb in the first round against the Toronto Raptors, and that was then followed up by a concussion and a broken face at the very end of that series. That caused him to miss the first two games of this Heat series, which were both easy wins for Miami.

Embiid's presence helped change the series in Games 3 and 4, even if he wasn't his normal dominant self. The Heat turned the tables in Game 5, but the Sixers star shouldn't be blamed for that when he's out there giving it all he has while dealing with multiple debilitating injuries. No, he's not playing bad because he's sad about MVP.

Even so, Embiid recognizes the criticism comes with the territory as an MVP candidate. He's just going to do his best to bounce back and try to extend Philly's season with a Game 6 win. If he helps rescue the Sixers, that criticism will turn to praise real fast.