PLAYER GRADES: Toronto Raptors 101, Philadelphia 76ers 96
The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors are officially in a best of three series.
After a sterling Game 3 win, the Philadelphia 76ers entered Game 4 with ample momentum and a chance to put Toronto in a near-insurmountable hole. The Sixers have shown serious growth through eight postseason games, and number nine was perhaps the most important contest yet.
It ended in disappoint. The Sixers were close all game, even holding the lead for considerable periods of time. But Toronto kept hammering away, and Kawhi Leonard delivered the blows. He nabbed 39 points and 14 rebounds, continuing his all-time performance in this series. He was good enough to overlook the seven turnovers.
The Sixers are defending Leonard well, with Ben Simmons and — to a lesser extent — Jimmy Butler and James Ennis getting in his airspace and forcing contested looks. It just hasn’t mattered. He’s too good. As Brett Brown put it, he’s Kobe Bryant-esque.
Leonard has covered Toronto’s warts all series, making up ground lost by the Raptors’ dreadful supporting cast. On Sunday, however, the supporting cast showed up, with Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka all chipping in.
Even with Leonard on his rampage, Philadelphia had enough in the tank to make it competitive until the very end. The Sixers were down just two at halftime and were within one point until around the one-minute mark, when Leonard hit a step-back dagger from beyond the arc.
The Sixers were unable to cover the gap late and fell by five. It was heartbreaking, yet still encouraging to some degree. The Sixers were again competitive despite Kawhi’s onslaught. It would lead one to believe they aren’t quite out of the series yet.
Philadelphia 76ers. JIMMY BUTLER. A. <strong>40 mins | 29 pts | 11 reb | 4 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 4 TO | 9-18 FG | 3-7 3PT| 8-10 FT | 2 PF | +1 |</strong><p>Jimmy Buckets was again impressive, carrying the mantle on offense as Embiid, Ben Simmons and <a rel=. SF
<strong>35 mins | 11 pts | 8 reb | 7 ast | 2 stl | 2 blk | 2 TO | 2-7 FG | 0-1 3PT| 7-10 FT | 5 PF | +17 |</strong><p>Embiid lacked aggression, missed important free throws down the stretch and was in visible discomfort at certain points. Even so, he managed seven assists to two turnovers, along with a pair of impressive highlight blocks on Serge Ibaka. He ended up with a team-high +17, but it just wasn’t his best night.</p>. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID. C-
D+. <strong>41 mins | 16 pts | 6 reb | 4 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 7-23 FG | 2-13 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | -8 |</strong><p>It’s a make-or-miss league, and Tobias Harris missed a lot of shots Sunday afternoon. His confidence was pleasant, but that pleasantry quickly wore out. Harris missed numerous shots down the stretch, which ended up costing the Sixers in a tight contest. His team-high 23 field goal attempts were matched with a bottom-dwelling 30.4 field goal percentage.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS
A. <strong>35 mins | 19 pts | 3 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 6-9 FG | 4-7 3PT| 3-3 FT | 0 PF | +7 |</strong><p><a rel=. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. J.J. REDICK
<strong>26 mins | 9 pts | 5 reb | 0 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 3-8 FG | 3-7 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | -5 |</strong><p>Ennis continues his stint as the Sixers’ most important bench piece. He played 26 minutes and knocked home three triples, all while drawing defensive assignments on Kawhi and Lowry throughout the game. He’s an important part of Brett Brown’s limited second unit.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. JAMES ENNIS III. B
Now tied 2-2, things will shift back to Toronto for Game 5. It’s a borderline must-win for Philadelphia, though Toronto will undoubtedly (and deservedly) enter the game as favorites. If the Sixers lose, it would make Game 6 win-or-go home. If the Sixers win Game 6, then Game 7 is win-or-go home. It’s tough to win two games of that variety back-to-back.
Perhaps the biggest concern moving forward is Joel Embiid. He has had one good game this series, which was Game 3. He struggled immensely on Sunday, scoring just 11 points on 2-7 shooting. He looked lethargic and stiff, not dissimilar to Game 2.
Jimmy Butler turned in another stellar performance, offering another reminder of his value to the Sixers. He will remain the x-factor moving forward, as his skill set unlocks Philadelphia’s ceiling against Toronto’s defense. The Raptors moving Kawhi onto Butler for portions of the game is noteworthy for that very reason.
3 potential free agent targets from Raptors. dark. Next
Game 5 will take place Tuesday at 8 PM E.T. up north. We’ll see if the Sixers can answer on the road.