GRADES: Sixers fall flat in road loss to Raptors
By Sam Coltrane
The Sixers fell flat in the fourth on the road to the Toronto Raptors, who have now won four straight.
The game began slow and ugly as one might expect in this matchup. Toronto struggled early, not scoring their third points of the game until an Aron Baynes touch shot nearly four minutes into the game.
Philadelphia spread their scoring attack and clamped down on defense as a Danny Green 3-pointer extended the lead 22-8. From there, it was all Toronto.
Back-to-back Siakam baskets were followed by two Joel Embiid free throws before Fred VanVleet went scorched earth hitting four straight threes and leading his own 10-0 run to close the quarter with Toronto leading 28-24.
The second quarter was a more consistent offensive show. Simmons continued his last aggressive barrage and Doc Rivers adjusted his bench rotation with Isaiah Joe replacing Tyrese Maxey’s minutes. After the back-and-forth, Philadelphia took a lead into the halftime break winning 55-52.
A Tobias Harris 3-pointer kicked off the third quarter as the teams traded runs. 6-0, 0-7, 10-0, 2-8, began the quarter as the teams continued keeping it close. Embiid overpowered Chris Boucher for an and-one to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 82-71.
Much like the first, Toronto stormed back with the three-ball. VanVleet and Boucher combined for a 10-0 run before two Simmons free-throws helped give Philadelphia a one-point lead entering the fourth, 84-83.
Philadelphia has been playing excellently this early season, but they have begun to slip back into being a bad road team. Tonight, looked awfully reminiscent of the teams that have come up short in season’s past.
Anemic offense stymied defensive efforts as Philadelphia went scoreless for over five minutes from 7:35 to 2:26 in the fourth. Toronto simply played the game out the rest of the way to take the game, 110-103.
Sixers post-game grades vs. Raptors
PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS. A. <strong>39 mins | 28 pts | 9 reb | 5 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 9-11 FG | 0-0 3PT| 10-14 FT | 4 PF | +9 |</strong><p>Simmons, returning from a two-game hiatus, picked up where he left off. Following a career-type game in his last outing, Simmons came out aggressively. He appears to be feeling more comfortable at the line and in turn he’s getting there more. If Simmons can tap into this every night, he will be aiming to add more all-NBA hardware to his already impressive list of accolades.</p>
Philadephia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID. B. <strong>36 mins | 25 pts | 17 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 2 blk | 2 TO | 6-20 FG | 1-3 3PT| 12-14 FT | 0 PF | -1 |</strong><p>Embiid looked tired. Such is life for the superstar that 25 and 17 is a less than stellar performance. Baynes held his own and his size appeared to force Embiid to work harder than he would have liked. That said, it is no secret shooting helps make the best Embiid and Philadelphia’s shooting was nonexistent last night. The team will go as far as Embiid can take them, tonight he came up short.</p>. C
TOBIAS HARRIS. C-. <strong>37 mins |13 pts | 4 reb | 7 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 0 TO | 6-17 FG | 1-9 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | -1 |</strong><p>Harris continues to show how much better he is getting every day. In what was a game to forget, Harris still helped dish out seven assists. Mid-year regular season losses happen. Nights where his shot isn’t falling can prove to be important nights as Harris grows his game. I suspect he will look to attack the basket more aggressively in Tuesday’s rematch.</p>. PF. Philadelphia 76ers
<strong>35 mins | 12 pts | 3 reb | 6 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 3 TO | 4-12 FG | 2-7 3PT| 2-4 FT | 3 PF | +1 |</strong><p>Curry’s game fell in the same vain as Harris. When a shooter’s shot isn’t falling, they have to manufacture production elsewhere. Curry contributed six assists as he flashes growing rapport on offense and will look to bounce back in the next outing.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. SETH CURRY. C+
MATISSE THYBULLE. D. <strong>16 mins | 0 pts | 1 reb | 3 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 0-1 FG | 0-1 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | -23 |</strong><p>Thybulle is a fan favorite and his value goes much beyond a conventional box score. He’s also not a typical second year player as he’ll turn 24 in a couple of weeks. Thybulle’s defense is incredible and has tremendous value, but his lack of shooting can feel apparent when sharing the floor with the team’s stars. He’ll be interesting to monitor as the NBA trade deadline approaches.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia has now dropped their last four on the road. Embiid is continuing his MVP play, Harris has stepped up his game to have an incredibly high-floor night-in and night-out, and Simmons appears to be turning a corner. Yet, Morey has to feel a need for another halfcourt initiator. Philadelphia will aim to get revenge Tuesday as they run it back with Toronto in the friendly confines of Florida.
Next. Joel Embiid, the perfect blend of greatness. dark