On the second night of a back-to-back, the Philadelphia 76ers are still in Toronto to take on the Raptors. Despite shooting poorly and missing both Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Sixers were winning on Sunday. Then the turnovers just started flowing, and the Raptors escaped with a 116-115 overtime win.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (21-16) at Toronto Raptors (24-16)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, CA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
You know it's going to be a challenging game when Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes combine to shoot just 5-19 on three-point attempts, but the Sixers also held the Raptors to just 15.6% as a team. For the Sixers, the loss was due to poor execution in the fourth quarter and overtime. Unless the goal was to turn the ball over as many times as possible, in which case it was a success.
The team usually is pretty good at fast-break points, assists, and turnovers, but yesterday they failed at all three in one game. The team's 12 turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime obviously cost them the game, but having just 11 assists as a team and only 10 fast-break points takes away from what they've been excelling at throughout the first half of the season.
The Sixers really missed Joel Embiid, who was out for injury management and is questionable to return tonight. Embiid has played more recently than at any point over the past couple of seasons and has looked closer to his former self, assimilating well with the Sixers' new style.
The Raptors didn't do anything special in their victory over the Sixers until crunch time, when they started capitalizing on the Sixers' mistakes and making plays when it counted. The Raptors outscored the Sixers 31-23 in the fourth quarter, enough to force overtime. The Sixers lost the game more than the Raptors won it.
The Raptors had some nice scoring from Scottie Barnes (31 points), Jamal Shead (22 points), and Immanuel Quickley (20 points). Still, their shooting was poor throughout the game, and they managed to survive despite missing their two leading scorers, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett.
With Barrett OUT and Ingram a game-time decision for Monday's matchup, the team could be short-handed again. Leaning on Barnes and Quickley will be ok if they can get into a better shooting rhythm and counter the Sixers' defense. The game, again, will come down to who controls the ball over the entire game, not just 80% of it.
Joel Embiid and Paul George are both questionable, and their potential return would solidify the Sixers' front-court and should easily put them over the top for a win. Embiid, as he's built up confidence and game shape throughout the season, is playing at an excellent level again while working well with the Sixers' new style.
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe will not be happy about their performance, especially down the stretch, in Sunday's game, and will look to make an immediate statement against a team the Sixers know they should beat. More ball movement, creating more open looks, as well as easier penetration, have helped the Sixers win games this season, and they were missing on Sunday. The return of that throughout an entire game will change how the game looks tonight and the result.
Sixers 128 - Raptors 111
