Sixers Overcome Slow Start to Defeat Raptors
Maybe not the blowout people are looking for, but still a pretty decent win. The Sixers erased a 17-point first half deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors 123-112 Thursday night.
Sixers Take Care of Business Without LeBron
LeBron James got the night off as the rest of the Sixers overcame yet another slow start to knock off the Raptors.
Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 27 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field, along with eight assists. Joel Embiid didn’t quite break out of his shooting slump, but looked much better as he avoided an injury scare early in the game. He finished with 20 points, going 7-of-17 from the floor, along with four rebounds.
Jaylen Brown had an up-and-down night, going 8-of-15 from the field for 18 points and six rebounds. VJ Edgecombe had another great all-around game, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. R.J. Barrett led all scorers with 31 points.
Game Details
LeBron James was out for this one with lower back management, as well as Adem Bona (neck) and Dominick Barlow (back). Toronto was without Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
First Quarter
- The Sixers opened the game generating good shots. Jaylen Brown shook free of CMB for a pull-up jumper, Dean Wade and Edgecombe both stepped into open threes, and Embiid got a jumper from the free throw line, but none of these looks fell. Maxey finally got the Sixers their first field goal of the game getting the ball off a broken play and getting to the basket.
- Embiid set a screen for Maxey to help him get open on the three-point line and appeared to bang knees with Ja’Kobe Walter as Walter was trying to fight through the screen. Embiid went down in a heap of pain immediately and the Sixers stopped the game so he could head back to the locker room.
- The Sixers’ offense continued to struggle after the stoppage. Brown was trying attack off the dribble but was getting bottled up. They still couldn’t hit a three off the catch either — the rest of the team started the game 0-of-4 from deep. The Raptors ripped off a 12-0 run during this stretch.
- For the second game in a row, Edgecombe had a really nice spin move to split defenders and get to the basket. Darko Rajakovich called timeout after he did so, which allowed Embiid to emerge from the locker room and return to the game. Edgecombe did just about the same thing coming out of the timeout.
- Maxey ran quick off a miss to create a fast break layup, but Toronto was able to snuff out the momentum quickly. The Sixers went into a zone for a couple of possessions, but the Raptors shooters had gotten into a rhythm and they were able to get open pretty easily. Two threes from Barrett and another from Jamison Battle helped them score 13 more unanswered points.
- Embiid nearly passed up a wide open layup near the basket, but did eventually put it up once he realized the 6-foot-1 Jamal Shead was guarding him. Maxey was able to hit a ridiculous layup in transition, and Anfernee Simons drilled a three at the buzzer to pull the Sixers to within nine.
Second Quarter
- Simons drilled a stepback three with a hand in his face to open the quarter. Embiid, looking a bit more comfortable, blocked a layup and got himself an easy bucket going to the paint. Brown wasn’t able to bury his three after making Kyle Anderson fall with a crossover, but he finally got a midrange to go that capped off a 15-0 Sixers run going back to the first.
- That seemed to do the trick as Brown drilled his next two pull-ups in the midrange. Edgecombe was the best Sixer on the floor for much of the first half. His intercepting of passes from the weak side was the best defense they had going for them, and it was creating plenty of transition opportunities. On top of a big fast break dunk, Edgecombe also hit a very nifty up-and-under layup.
- It probably gave everyone a good scare, but Embiid was able to get by Jakob Poeltl and throw down a dunk.