3 key matchups in Philadelphia 76ers-Toronto Raptors series
The regular season is over and the Philadelphia 76ers finish with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. That means they will face the fifth seed held by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
I will be the first to admit this isn’t the ideal first round opponent for the Sixers. The 76ers are 1-3 in the regular season against the Raptors. It’s also clear that Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is better than Sixers head coach Doc Rivers at this point in their respective careers. This series is especially hard without Matisse Thybulle available for away games.
That being written, there are going to be three matchups that could sway the direction of this series. If the 76ers want to win this series, then they will have to win the majority of the matchups each outing against Toronto.
Related Story. Podcast: Bring on the Raptors | post season preview. light
3 key matchups in Philadelphia 76ers-Toronto Raptors series: Tobias Harris vs. Scottie Barnes
It was tempting to put Tyrese Maxey and Gary Trent Jr. in this spot, but each player is going to get their own stats respectively in that matchup. The most interesting matchup is between the two starting power forwards in this series.
The Philadelphia 76ers have the savvy veteran in Tobias Harris and the Raptors have a Rookie of the Year candidate in Scottie Barnes. Both play vital roles for their respective clubs and both need to be great to help their teams win this series.
On the season, Harris averaged 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, while making 36.7 percent from the 3-point line. Barnes on the other hand averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, while shooting 30.1 percent of his 3-pointers.
Harris is the better offensive player, but Barnes is the better playmaker and defender. Both Harris and Barnes have struggled to score the ball in this matchup but Barnes is the better two-way player so it’s less detrimental to his team.
In order for Harris to win this matchup, he can’t average 12.8 points on 31.9 percent shooting from the field. Harris has to be lethal in this spot-up shooting and his ability to attack in transition if the Sixers are going to stand a chance.