The Philadelphia 76ers made their way to Toronto for the first of a back-to-back series against the Raptors. Half a game separated the two division rivals between the fourth and fifth spots in the Eastern Conference, setting the stage for a physical matchup.
The Sixers, without Joel Embiid, and the Raptors, without RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram and Jakob Poeltl, both came into the night shorthanded, but rallied behind their respective young stars.
Tyrese Maxey did what he could to put the city of Philadelphia on his back, attempting to alleviate the doom and gloom caused by the Eagles' earlier first-round playoff loss. Struggling once again to find any consistency shooting the ball, Philadelphia turned to their young star, who responded with a game-high 38 points.
Maxey's impressive performance was nearly enough to seal the road win for Philadelphia, but a series of untimely miscues forced overtime and an eventual home win for the Raptors, 116-115.
Sloppy play, including nine fourth-quarter turnovers and an additional three in overtime, doomed any chance the Sixers had of putting this game away. Despite big-time shots by both Maxey and unnaturally clutch rookie VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia simply undercut themselves too many times to walk away with a win.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes gave the Sixers fits defensively, as Philadelphia far too often found themselves fouling Barnes, unable to restrain him any other way.
Defending the paint was a major weakness for the Sixers, who, without Embiid, allowed 68 points down low. Andre Drummond was effectively a non-factor for the majority of the game, and Adem Bona, despite his energetic contributions, was constantly caught in the air, resulting in either free throws or an easy dump off for a standing dunk by the player Bona was supposed to be guarding before helping off of.
Ultimately, a frustrating loss despite the hostile conditions, as the Sixers very much had this game in hand down to the wire despite their shortcomings on the offensive end. Instead of passing the Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings, they now find themselves down by a game and a half, with a chance to break even tomorrow night.
Philadelphia will turn right around for a second matchup in Toronto in as many days. The status of the players who missed Sunday's game remains unclear, but if this game was any indication, the Sixers could surely benefit from Joel Embiid's return.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST Monday night.
