Philadelphia 76ers: Injuries bound to impact Game 2

The Game 1 victory against the Toronto Raptors should have the Philadelphia 76ers in a great headspace. They won without a dominant performance from Joel Embiid and rode the tidal wave that was known as Tyrese Maxey. However, Game 2 is coming and injuries are going to be a factor in this matchup.

Luckily for the Sixers, there are no significant injuries that will impact their chances in this game. However, the same can’t be said about the Toronto Raptors because it’s more than likely they have multiple players out in this matchup.

Injuries will impact the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors series.

Looking back at game one there were two players who were injured, Scottie Barnes and Thaddeus Young. Barnes had his foot sprained by twisting it under the foot of Embiid and Young missed the whole second half due to a thumb injury. It should be noted that Gary Trent Jr. also played through an illness in Game 1, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

It has been reported since game one that Barnes won’t play in Game 2, according to Keith Pompey of The Inquirer. Pompey also noted that both Trent Jr. and Young are doubtful as well.

This is significant because both Trent Jr. and Barnes are starters with Barnes arguably the third-best player on the roster. Barnes is the best defender on the team and the backup point guard. Trent Jr. is a solid shooting guard who is a two-way player in the NBA. Young is also the toughest reserve big in terms of rebounding and defense.

Losing three rotation players will certainly impact the Raptors. They have two backup point guards in Malachi Flynn and Dalano Banton but neither has been especially impactful. Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa will have bigger roles. It’s also possible that one or both big men might start in Game 2. That would leave Khem Birch and possibly Yuta Watanabe as the only playable reserves. That will give the Sixers more matchup advantages especially if the Raptors get in foul trouble.

This isn’t good for the Raptors but on the flip side, this would make a win against the Raptors easier. That being written, the Philadelphia 76ers should not take Game 2 lightly because of these injuries, but if they remained focused the Sixers have a good chance to win Game 2.