GRADES: Toronto Raptors 101, Philadelphia 76ers 96
By Sam Coltrane
The Philadelphia 76ers continue their road woes as they fall to the Toronto Raptors for their sixth road loss of the year as Joel Embiid goes scoreless for the first time in his career.
Toronto had a plethora of starters sitting out, but that didn’t stop them from remaining competitive throughout the game. The Philadelphia 76ers’ late game struggles plagued them again as a turnover late in the game by Ben Simmons ultimately sealed their fate.
The game remained tight throughout with neither team having a lead greater than six points at the end of a quarter.
Toronto opened the game strongly, taking an 8-0 lead before Philadelphia stormed back to lead the first quarter 34-28.
As the second quarter played out, Philadelphia’s offense fizzled. They managed only 15 points in the second quarter and were left trailing Toronto 51-49 at the end of the first half.
The third quarter was tight back and forth as well, with the quarter with leaving Toronto up 81-80.
The fourth quarter looked like it would go the way of the more talented team through the first eight minutes. A Josh Richardson jumper gave Philadelphia a 96-91 lead with 4:03 remaining. Those would turn out to be the last points Philadelphia would score. Toronto closed the game on a 10-0 run as a combination of turnovers and poor shots resulted in Philadelphia’s demise.
Marc Gasol’s defense was tremendous, but it also was indicative of a problem that many Philadelphia fans have been pointing to for years… an inability to close.
F. <strong>31 mins | 0 pts | 13 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 0-11 FG | 0-4 3PT| 0-3 FT | 5 PF | -9 |</strong><p>Leading off with anyone else would be a mockery of the player grades. Simmons drilling a three-point shot felt like it was something Philadelphia fans may never see, but Embiid going scoreless on 11 field goal attempts and three free throws has to be that much more surprising. If you’re Embiid, I would say throw it away, but maybe this is a game he needs to remember for a long time to come. Piling on further feels empty.</p>. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID
BEN SIMMONS. C+. <strong>40 mins | 10 pts | 9 reb | 14 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 7 TO | 4-8 FG | 0-1 3PT| 2-2 FT | 2 PF | -8 |</strong><p>Simmons was far from perfect as he had seven turnovers and the team lost to Toronto on a night where they had several starters out. Despite all of that, Simmons ended the game shooting 50 percent from the field and an assist shy of a triple-double. There’s no doubt that he needs to play downhill and aggressive. Until Brett Brown can demand that effort night-in, night-out games like this will happen.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers
B-. <strong>36 mins | 25 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 9-19 FG | 5-9 3PT| 2-5 FT | 1 PF | -5 |</strong><p>Richardson was not great, but he was fairly efficient and aggressive. He took the most shots for the team and appears to be getting more comfortable finding his spots. A disappointing all-around game with only one assist, but perhaps a step in the right direction when nearly everyone else tried to step back.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. JOSH RICHARDSON
MIKE SCOTT. B+. <strong>20 mins | 12 pts | 2 reb | 0 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 3-5 FG | 3-5 3PT| 3-4 FT | 1 PF | +5 |</strong><p>In a game where not much went right, <a rel=. PF. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers. AL HORFORD. C. <strong>31 mins | 11 pts | 10 reb | 4 ast | 0 stl | 2 blk | 1 TO | 5-7 FG | 1-1 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | -8 |</strong><p>Horford played a game that feels like a very solid one when you win. Having lost, it feels like an empty performance. His eleven points on seven shots were efficient. His ten rebounds, four assists, and two blocks made for an all-around performance that just never amounted to enough.</p>. PF
Philadelphia will look to change their fortunes around and continue their undefeated streak at home playing the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, October 27th.
Next. Sixers' chemistry, fit evolving after bumpy 2018-19. dark
A happy thanksgiving to all!