PHILADELPHIA -- Sixers superstar Joel Embiid felt so sick Sunday morning that he texted his coach to tell him he might not play. After struggling down the stretch in a 101-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors to even the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-2, his play made him feel even worse.

"I mean at the end of the day it's on me," Embiid said after finishing with 11 points on 2-for-7 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. "I got to be more aggressive. Today wasn't the same as [Game 3]. Staying aggressive, especially offensively I've got to help my teammates better. But, still on me."

Embiid scored 33 points on 18 shots in Game 3 to push Philadelphia ahead in the series. Sunday, he scored 22 fewer points and the Sixers totaled 20 fewer points as a team.

"I got a text from him at 6:20 a.m. this morning, telling me he didn't really sleep all night, he really never felt this poorly, and, 'I wasn't sure, Coach, if I'm going to play' -- that's how my day started," Sixers coach Brett Brown said.

The All-Star center told reporters that after a sleepless night he received IV fluids at 6 a.m. -- about 9½ hours prior to tipoff -- marking the second time this series he needed an IV to play. Prior to Game 2, it was to deal with a bout of gastroenteritis.

"I'm just not myself," he said.

And the Sixers looked far different than the team that seized control of the series on Friday. After taking an 84-81 lead on a banked in 3-pointer by Jimmy Butler with 9 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Philly went more than seven minutes without a field goal until JJ Redick hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 left.

During the drought, the Sixers went 0-for-9 from the floor (0-for-6 from 3-point range) and just 3-for-6 from the foul line with three turnovers.

Embiid was a main culprit as the game slipped away, going 0-for-2 from the floor and 3-for-6 from the line with two turnovers and four fouls in the fourth quarter.

Toronto went big, playing Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka together at times, and both players responded with their best game of the series for Toronto. Gasol had 16 points and 5 boards; Ibaka contributed 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench.

When asked about the Raptors' lineup adjustments on Embiid, Sixers guard Ben Simmons was matter of fact.

"He's got to be ready and expecting that," Simmons said. "Obviously, he's a little sick today. That plays into it too."

The Sixers were outscored 38-34 in the paint by the Raptors. Philadelphia's 17-for-37 (46 percent) conversion rate on shots in the paint was its worst showing this postseason and fifth worst all season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The series moves on to Toronto for Game 5 on Tuesday -- and potentially a Game 7 on Sunday -- as it becomes a best-of-three affair, with both teams already proving they can win on their opponent's home floor.

"Still have an amazing opportunity to go for the Eastern Conference championship and then get to the [NBA] Finals, so we're looking forward to it," Simmons said.

And the Sixers are also anticipating a return to form out of Embiid.

"We just want him to be aggressive," Butler said. "I mean, hell, if you are going to go 2-for-7, go 2-for-20, I'm with it. ... We're rocking with Jo. That's what we need out of him, to always be aggressive. Moving forward, we expect the same thing. Go show why you're so dominant, night in and night out, on both ends of the floor. He's a little bit sick, banged up, so we got a day to get him right [before Game 5]."