The Toronto Raptors lost Game 1 of their first-round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers in poor fashion. The Raptors fell down early and despite some effort in the second half, they just could not come back into the game. What is most striking about this game is that they were not killed by Joel Embiid or James Harden. Embiid shot 5-of-15 from the field and Harden was similar, shooting 6-of-17.

 

However, the Raptors got obliterated by Tyrese Maxes, who scored 38 points on 14-of-21 shooting. While they have to do better as a team, there are a few guys who really need to step up in Game 2.

Here are three Raptors most to blame for their brutal Game 1 loss to the Sixers.

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Raptors most to blame for losing Game 1 to Sixers 

Gary Trent Jr.

Gary Trent Jr. was brought in to be the Raptors' third score, and he did an admirable job throughout the season. He put up 18.3 points per game on 41.4% shooting from the field and 38.3% from behind the arc.

In this Game 1, however, he was abysmal. It could have been the good defense by the Sixers, but Trent was completely out of this game. He shot just 2-of-11 and just 2-of-7 from 3-point range.

If the Raptors want a shot at winning this series, Trent must be a lot better than the nine points he had this game. Truth be told, Trent really does not need to do much of anything else, but the risk is that if he is not scoring then the guard is simply not effectively using his time on the court.

Additionally, Trent was also not active on defense. At times, he was guarding Maxey and he got absolutely crushed. This can be remedied by the Raptors' better planning on the defensive end, possibly looking to guard in a zone or switching whenever Trent draws the Maxey assignment defensively.

However, this is likely just a poor game by the former Trail Blazers guard, so the Raptors can rely on Trent being much better in the second game. If he can hit his shots, the Sixers will need to devote more attention to him, opening up space for other offensive weapons.

Chris Boucher 

Chris Boucher actually did not miss in his almost 15 minutes of action in this game, going 3-of-3 from the field and making his one 3-point attempt. However, that is about the only positive of his game, as Boucher got into foul trouble and ended up fouling out.

The issue for the Raptors there is that they are a fairly thin roster, so losing a key member of the rotation after just 15 minutes of action hurt them a lot. Additionally, when facing a team that shoots a ton of free throws, fouls are a big problem. In the end, the Sixers shot 34 free throws and made 29. While all of Boucher's six fouls did not directly lead to free throws, it is a problem when he is stacking up personals.

Boucher needs to stay on the court for Game 2 primarily, meaning that unnecessary fouls need to be avoided at all costs. Obviously, that is difficult, as both Embiid and Harden have a knack for getting some softer calls from the referees. That all is true, but the Raptors need to be very careful and at least not give a reason for the refs to call some fouls. Boucher holds a lot of responsibility for that.

Additionally, with the rotation being thinned out, a player who averaged 21 minutes playing just under 15 is a problem. Thus, the best that Boucher can do for Game 2 is avoid fouls, stay on the court, and try to do more for his team in the next game, which could be pivotal.

Pascal Siakam 

Siakam had a pretty decent stat line in his 40 minutes. The Raptors big man shot 50% from the field and from 3, got seven assists, did not get into foul trouble, and made all five of his free throws. Yet, one part of that stat line really hurts: he only got three rebounds. As the primary defender of Joel Embiid, it is completely on Siakam to box the Cameroonian out and keep him away from the basket in case the Sixers miss. While four offensive rebounds are not a lot in the grand scheme of things, especially since the Raptors were blown out, it is more than Siakam got overall, which has to hurt. Philly grabbed 10 offensive rebounds for the game.

On the offensive end, Siakam was good, but he is the leader of this team. The 24 points he scored were okay and around his average, which was 22.8 points on the season. However, he needs to do more and the Raptors need him more than what he provided in this Game 1. Defending the MVP candidate in Embiid is no easy task, but if the Raptors want to win, Siakam needs to be that guy.