RECAP: Toronto Raptors 128, Philadelphia 76ers 94
The Philadelphia 76ers struggled without Joel Embiid. The game was not close after the first six minutes of the first quarter as the Toronto Raptors dominated the Sixers.
Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS. B +. <span style=. PG
B. 26 mins | 16 pts | 3 reb | 0 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 3 TO | 5-7 FG | 2-3 3PT| 4-4 FT | 1 PF | -25 +/-| <b>Summary</b>: <a rel=. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. JERRYD BAYLESS
B -. 26 mins | 6 pts | 2 reb | 3 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 2-8 FG | 0-2 3PT| 2-2 FT | 1 PF | -6 +/-| <strong>Summary: </strong>Toronto’s game plan clearly was to run JJ Reddick off of the three point line, and his performance suffered as a result. He shot poorly from the field and could not hold up on the defensive end even though he showed better effort than others with more defensive ability. Despite the lack of results on the court, Reddick was a vocal leader on the floor and got after teammates for their play. It is what you want to see from a veteran like him. One can only hope he can continue buying in throughout the early team struggles.. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. J.J. REDDICK
JAHLIL OKAFOR. B -. <span style=. C. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers. ROBERT COVINGTON. C -. <span style=. F
Sloppy Early
For the first minutes for the first quarter, the 76ers hung in with the Raptors. Ben Simmons stayed aggressive but committed some costly turnovers. The Deja-vu set in from the home opener the night before. Whistles rained down and the Raptors gained extra possessions and opportunities at the foul line. It started to get really out of hand by the end of the quarter. The Sixers committed seven turnovers in the first quarter to go with eleven personal fouls. The Raptors scored fourteen points ate the free throw line in the first quarter alone. Ending on a 21-4 run, the 76ers found themselves having to try and claw back into it.
Settled Down In the 2nd Quarter
Aggressive, adjustment made by Brett Brown confirmed in 2nd quarter. Markelle Fuztz played more as a primary ball handler when He and Ben Simmons were on the floor. Made some good decisions.
Defense picked up starting the 2nd. The Sixers forced more stops, but the young bench players on the Toronto Rapters still hung with the 76ers starting lineup. Most notably, Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl had hard blocks against JJ Reddick and Dario Saric. Jahlil Okafor got heavily contested rebounds to help keep the Sixers within striking distance. He also added a mid range jumper to get the Raptor’s lead under double digits.
Dario finally made a couple of shots to keep the Sixers’ deficit hovering around ten to twelve points. Free throw shooting looks like it will be a story line all year with Ben Simmons and Markelle struggling, and the team unable to keep their opponent off of the line.
2nd Half Serge
Serge Ibaka’s prowess from the three point line and Demar Derozan’s precision from the mid range allowed the Raptors to erase the gains the Sixers made throughout the second quarter. Toronto opened up a nineteen point lead. Then Sixers turnovers and offensive inefficiency allowed the Raptors lead to as much as thirty-one points.
The Sixers offense never found a rhythm in the third quarter. J.J. Reddick was never allowed to get going, and he seemed really unhappy about it. At one point, the camera lingered on JJ’s blank stare that said all you need to know about the Sixer’s play throughout the game.
Robert Covington was also hampered by four fouls and could not come close to his twenty-nine point season debut. He bit on two many pump fakes from Demar, something he should know better than to fall for.
The fourth quarter was literally nothing to write home about. The Sixers struggled just to make up ground against Toronto’s second team. The nights without Joel Embiid were always going to be a struggle, but everyone involved with the Sixers organization from the front office to the fans had hoped it would be better than tonight’s effort. Ben Simmons posted his third consecutive double double and was two assists shy of a triple double. This is the lone bright spot on the night. This early stretch of the season is a brutal one for the young squad, just have to hope the team can weather the storm.
Next: Ben Simmons' Historic Start to his Career