GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 100, Toronto Raptors 93
Embiid fuels a late comeback for a satisfying Philadelphia 76ers win over the Toronto Raptors.
The Sixers came back home looking to recover after a brutal loss to the Cavaliers with a starting lineup of Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid. However, they were without bench player Furkan Korkmaz.
Toronto looked to win their first of the season with starters Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Aron Baynes.
The game started well for the Sixers with the offense looking less scrappy. Tobias Harris was off to a good start putting up nine points in the first six minutes. A lack of communication or awareness on a few defensive possessions allowed the Raptors to be up 17-11 before Doc Rivers called a timeout with a little less than 5 minutes to go in the 1st.
Embiid was worryingly quiet before making a 3 late in the first quarter. The Sixers struggled to defend the 3 early on. The offense also seemed to deteriorate throughout the quarter, going 3-for-16 from the field after going 3-for-4 to start.
The quarter ended with the Raptors having outscored the Sixers 28-17
The second quarter didn’t seem to be much better early on with the Sixers trailing by 12 going into a timeout with 9:28 to go. Shake Milton was sent back to the bench early after poor minutes on the floor. The second unit didn’t make for good watching as they looked completely out of
With nothing going down for the Sixers, free throws were the only thing keeping them in the game. With Toronto in the penalty, Sixers managed to tie the game up with lots of free throws and a few looks at the rim while racking up defensive stops. This was undone in the last minute of the second quarter though, the half ending in a eight-point deficit for the Sixers.
Although inefficient, it should be noted that Simmons looked more aggressive with eight field goal attempts and six attempts at the charity stripe in the first half which is one free throw short of his total attempts in the entire Cleveland game.
The third quarter started with some good defensive possessions but the lead wasn’t cut down as they still didn’t seem to be able to find any success on the other end. As Curry seemed to be stepping up scoring or drawing a foul on three consecutive possessions, the Raptors countered by getting back in to the groove of things and making their shots.
Concerns rose as Embiid was very slow to get back up as he held his ankle after losing his footing while being double teamed in the post.
With Embiid going to the bench, the Sixers managed to make a few baskets but Toronto seemed to be getting open look after open look and they were making them. Embiid came back onto the court only a few minutes after heading to the locker room.
The Sixers then went on a 13-0 run to end the quarter with two made Milton free throws and the game tied up at 76-76. The third quarter comeback was fuelled primarily by Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris.
The Raptors were back in the lead again early in the fourth quarter but the Sixers were playing decent basketball. Milton did well to make his way to the rim, draw fouls and make good passes to apply some pressure on Toronto.
A Danny Green Green 3 and Tobias mid-range tied the game up with about five minutes to play which was followed by a timeout. A crucial overturning of an Aron Baynes 3 left the Sixers in the lead. They held on to this lead with great defense and composure on the offensive end to reap a favorable result of 100-93.
A-. <strong>38 mins | 29 pts | 16 reb | 4 ast | 2 stl | 2 blk | 5 TO | 7-17 FG | 1-6 3PT| 14-16 FT | 1 PF | +/- +15</strong><p>This victory can be largely attributed to Embiid’s performance, especially in the second quarter. While he might not have been shooting well from the field early on, the offense relied on him heavily to draw fouls and make free throws and keep them in the game and he delivered shooting 14 from 16 at the line. He was aggressive on the offensive boards and was sturdy on the defensive end. A good night out for Joel despite the injury scare.</p>. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID
BEN SIMMONS. B. <strong>37 mins | 11 pts | 13 reb | 7 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 3 TO | 3-11 FG | 0-0 3PT| 5-8 FT | 1 PF | +/- +10</strong><p>I believe Ben could’ve done a little more this game although his performance was decent. At times he looked a bit nonchalant on both ends. I am encouraged to see an increased effort to score and get to the line tonight and I hope he can be more efficient than he was tonight to become the scorer we need him to be. He did do well on the glass though, collecting 13 rebounds.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers
TOBIAS HARRIS. A-. <strong>38 mins | 26 pts | 11 reb | 3 ast | 2 stl | 2 blk | 2 TO | 11-20 FG | 2-5 3PT| 2-2 FT | 1 PF | +/- +21</strong><p>A great night for Tobias Harris to challenge the recent criticism that he’s faced from fans. He put up 9 early points, carrying the offensive load in the first quarter. Whilst he was quite after that, he got back into the game after Embiid limped off the court to ensure the Sixers stayed in the game. He shot well and worked hard on the boards to earn himself a double-double. The team was clearly better with him on the court as he boasts a +/- of +21. Let’s hope to see more games like this from Harris.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers. SETH CURRY. B. <strong>33 mins | 17 pts | 6 reb | 4 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 3 TO | 5-11 FG | 3-6 3PT| 4-4 FT | 4 PF | +/- +1</strong><p>Seth Curry was fairly non-influential in the first half but he came back in a big way in the third quarter. He took most of the offensive responsibility alongside Harris when Embiid was being checked out and was crucial in the game being tied at the the end of the third. An above average performance from Curry and I hope to see more of the same in games to come.</p>. SG
SHAKE MILTON. C+. <strong>26 mins | 7 pts | 1 reb | 2 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 2-10 FG | 1-6 3PT| 2-2 FT | 3 PF | +/- +6</strong><p>Shake’s minutes in the late first and early second quarters were very dissappointing which led to him returning to the bench earlier than usual. With the offense completely failing, he returned a few minutes later to finish the quarter and there was a minor improvement. He looked better in the third and fourth quarters drawing personal fouls, trying to take it to the rim and making good passes. While the stats may not show it, Shake played a big role in the second half comeback. I hope to see him return to form after a poor couple games in terms of scoring but a respectable game from Shake nonetheless.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers
Credit goes to Embiid as the team outscored Toronto 35-17 after he returned to the court from his brief injury scare.
dark. Next. Ranking every player on the Sixers roster
The Sixers face the Magic in Orlando on Thursday at 6:30 PM E.T.