The Philadelphia 76ers (40-35) took on the Toronto Raptors (23-51) for some Easter Sunday hoops. With the biggest names between both teams watching from the sidelines, the Sixers set a franchise record in three-pointers with 24 (on just 43 attempts) and won by a final score of 135-120.
Let’s break down the clash between the Hospital Sixers and the Hospital Raptors.
76ers player notes
Tobias Harris: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 8-13 FG shooting
The 76ers ran plenty of sets to get Harris going in the post and the results were not very good. Harris once again looked unable to carry a significant workload without a star to work off of until late in the game, when he got switched onto by bigs and was able to come up with buckets in the clutch. He wasn’t terrible on offense, fitting decently into the groove of the offense, but he did have a lot of ugly moments on defense.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 32 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 10-22 FG shooting
Once again, when the Sixers needed someone to be aggressive on offense, Oubre stepped up with a new season-high in points. He shot the lights out from deep — tying Cam Payne for the most triples of the game with six — but didn’t forget to get into the paint and to the foul line.
Kyle Lowry: 11 points, 1 rebound, 10 assists, 2 blocks, 4-6 FG shooting
Back in the city where he reached NBA stardom, Lowry stayed in a groove and set the 76ers up for success. He assisted a variety of teammates on shots in the most efficient zones (at the rim or beyond the arc) while shooting from deep very well himself.
Raptors player notes:
Kelly Olynyk: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, 7-8 FG shooting
Olynyk did a great job using the scoring talent around him to get the Raptors going. He made great passes on his way to a new personal record for assists since being traded to Toronto.
Game recap:
A Raptors team riding an NBA-worst 12-game losing streak and missing several starters and key bench players due to injuries made for just the right matchup for a 76ers team urgently needing a win. Philly is entrenching itself more into the play-in tournament with every loss. After consecutive close losses to playoff teams, the Sixers had to take advantage of one of their easiest remaining games.
Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl and Jontay Porter highlighted the list of Raptors who were inactive for this game. Tyrese Maxey was ruled out due to left hip tightness. Cam Payne took his spot in the starting lineup. The only other time the Sixers won with Maxey and Embiid out was when they played a game with a 2000s-esque final score. They went for their second such win north of the border.
1st half
Lowry connected with Mo Bamba on an alley-oop on the 76ers' first offensive possession. The former Raptors star, who received a warm welcome from the Toronto fans, also drained an open transition three and drew a charge early on. Kelly Oubre Jr. pierced the Raps' defense with eight early points, giving him as many points as the Raptors in the first six minutes.
Bamba has 11 field goals that have been tracked by NBA dot com as an alley-oop dunk (including this one) and Lowry has assisted him on 5 of them. His playmaking has done a really nice job of unlocking Bamba as a lob threat https://t.co/zzHi9YKAil
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) March 31, 2024
The Raptors looked to play fast and score quickly, putting some pressure on the Sixers' defense but also sacrificing some control of the ball that Philly used to generate takeaways. Paul Reed provided staunch defense in the paint on the Raps' halfcourt possessions. The Sixers made five of their first eight three-point attempts, inflating their lead to double figures with a handful of minutes left in the opening period.
Jeff Dowtin Jr., another former Raptor, was subbed in as Lowry came back out after a brief rest. He linked up for a long alley-oop lob with Nico Batum after taking away a loose ball. Batum also drained a three and deflected several passes. But the Raptors drew closer as the Sixers' offense stalled. With no center other than Olynk, the Raptors had to play small. The Sixers initially stuck with Reed but opened the second quarter with KJ Martin at center. Jordan Nwora and former Sixer Jalen McDaniels served as bigs for Toronto.
Oubre, who has already been working through shoulder issues after taking a nasty fall in a recent game, was knocked off balance when Garrett Temple tried to block him from behind on a fast break. The 76ers wing landed squarely on his left hip and walked off slowly but remained in the game. Temple apologized to Oubre at the free-throw line and Oubre later scored on a wide-open breakaway dunk as the Sixers went on a run to go back up by a big chunk of points.
Harris did a nice job of passing out of double-teams, displaying patience for the additional defender to come over before swinging the ball back out. Other than that and a few hard takes to the rim that resulted in free throws, there weren’t a lot more positives from his first half. He even ruined a 3-on-1 fast break by committing a charge. The biggest takeaway was that he can truly fade into the background of any game, even if the other team has to play several fringe NBA-level players. It doesn’t bode well for the playoffs.
At the half, the 76ers led 71-55 after shooting 12-22 from deep.
2nd half
The 76ers committed a pair of shooting fouls to start the half, allowing the Raptors to stay in it before going for the knockout. Oubre drained his fifth triple of the game, putting him just one short of his season high. Gradey Dick and Gary Trent Jr. provided the scoring that kept Toronto at arm's length. Then Oubre drained yet another triple and drew a foul on another attempt from deep, inching closer to his first game scoring over 30 points for Philly.
The Sixers started getting the ball moving well midway through the third quarter. They bordered on over-passing as they swung the ball around and drove and kicked it back out some more, getting points and burning some clock. Still, thanks to Kelly Olynyk's playmaking from the high post and at the top of the key and Bruce Brown's versatile scoring, the Raptors just would not go down. They chipped the deficit down to nine points.
More Batum brilliance on both ends (a triple and an interception) helped the Sixers stay afloat with the Raptors' well-oiled offense. They moved off the ball well, using the way centers play up on Olynyk because of his jumper and cutting behind the play. Dick, in particular, feasted off these looks. A few jumpers from Harris kept Philly ahead with an eight-point cushion.
Oubre officially notched a new season-high in points as the Sixers. Lowry notched a double-double and joined the club of teammates with a hat trick of triples on elite efficiency when he hit his third triple in five attempts.
The Sixers approached a new franchise record in threes but still couldn’t figure out how to lock down on defense. They struggled with containing the ball and seemed to be surprised by each wrinkle the Raptors had on offense. Toronto again worked down into single digits before Payne drained his fifth triple of the game. Payne missed a shot that would have broken the franchise record but Harris cleaned it up with a putback dunk, the dagger in Philly's victory.
Payne went on to hit a triple to set a new franchise record before securing the win.
Assorted observations:
- Joel Embiid participated in a “light” practice and did some more specific on-court work in Toronto, Nick Nurse told reporters before the game. The big man's return seems to be right around the corner.
The 76ers are back in action on Tuesday at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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