The Toronto Raptors had a 17-point cushion in the first quarter and still walked out of Xfinity Mobile Arena with a 123-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
That kind of swing says plenty about where this team is right now. Toronto is now on a three-game skid and sits at 5-7, with the second night of a back-to-back clearly catching up to them as the game wore on.
The early burst was there. The finish wasn’t.
The biggest issue remains the same one that has followed the Raptors around lately: they’re trying to survive without Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard. With both out, Toronto is missing the kind of depth, energy and structure that can steady a game when the other team starts pushing back.
Even so, RJ Barrett gave them everything he had. He finished with a game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds, falling one board short of his career high in that category. Barrett kept attacking and kept Toronto alive, but his effort wasn’t enough to stop the slide.
He’s also making a strong case for himself as a major piece of this roster moving forward. In the final year of his contract, Barrett is forcing the Raptors to think hard about what comes next, because he’s playing like someone who matters to winning and someone this group needs.
There was at least one encouraging wrinkle in the loss: the shooting from deep. Toronto entered the night as one of the league’s weakest three-point teams, hitting just under 33 per cent from beyond the arc.
Against Philadelphia, that part of the offense looked much better. The Raptors connected on 37.8 per cent of their threes, a mark that would have ranked in the top seven league-wide based on team percentage.
Seven different Raptors knocked down a shot from downtown, and Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jamison Battle each made three or more.
That remains the area that can sink Toronto’s offense, but if the team can find ways to improve from within, it at least gives them something to build on heading into their next game against the New York Knicks.
In Other News...
Sixers Just Lost Another Possible Answer Behind Embiid
The Sixers search for frontcourt stability has become a familiar subplot, and it only got a little more complicated with Dwight Powell now settling in with Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague after the Mavericks moved on from him. Philadelphia has been working through a shortage of dependable backup centers, a problem made worse by injuries and a thin free-agent market that has not offered many clean solutions behind Joel Embiid.
Powell was the kind of veteran stopgap the Sixers could have used as they try to survive the long stretch of the season without overtaxing Embiid. Instead, they will likely have to keep looking for another body and another layer of insurance at center, because the current options do not offer much security if the rotation gets tested again. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Overcame One Scary Joel Embiid Moment In Much Needed Win
The 76ers needed a steady night at home, and they got one after shaking off an early first-quarter deficit to beat the Raptors 123-112. Tyrese Maxey kept the offense moving with 27 points and eight assists, while Joel Embiid still managed 20 points even after a brief knee scare that had the building holding its breath for a moment.
For a team that has already had to navigate absences, the win carried extra value as Philadelphia improved to 10-3 and kept itself on track in the Eastern Conference race. The Sixers also did it with a shortened rotation, while Toronto was missing key pieces of its own, making Embiids early scare feel like the kind of subplot that could have changed the entire feel of the night. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Got The Relief They Needed After Joel Embiid's Early Scare
Joel Embiid gave the 76ers an early scare against Toronto when he went down with a knee injury, a moment that briefly shifted the mood in a game Philadelphia was already trying to manage without LeBron James in the lineup. The Raptors were shorthanded themselves, missing Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, but the bigger concern for the Sixers was whether their centerpiece would be able to continue after the opening jolt.
Embiid did return, and Philadelphia steadied itself enough to pull away for a 123-112 win after a sluggish start. Tyrese Maxey and Anfernee Simons helped spark the offense with key plays when the Sixers needed them most, turning what could have been a nervous night into a much-needed result. [Read more 🡒]