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The Philadelphia 76ers have lost another one to start the 2022-23 season. The Toronto Raptors defeated them 119-109 to drop them to 1-4 on the season. Head coach Doc Rivers was displeased with the Sixers' performance overall but had some choice words for his team's defense in particular.
In the postgame press conference on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Rivers cited “missed coverages” and said that the Sixers “gifted” shots to the Raptors.
“We just gifted them baskets,” Rivers told reporters after the Sixers' fourth loss in their first five games. “It’s the first quarter that we got off to such a slow start. And their key guys got going. We just gifted guys shots early…And then I thought also, our offense, even though we shot 51 percent, it can be such a better offense if we just played right. You know, space the floor more, played a little faster, didn’t turn the ball over.”
Each member of the Raptors' starting lineup scored 15 points. Pascal Siakam led the way with 20 points, 13 assists and five rebounds while Gary Trent Jr. added 27. They turned Sixers' turnovers and missed shots into points with ease while limiting their own. While the Raptors scored 29 fast-break points and nine second-chance points, the Sixers posted 17 and three points in those areas respectively.
While the Sixers lack high-level energy, they also lack organization. Every player and coach shares the blame for their start. They lack the creativity on offense to generate easy looks frequently, especially when the defense gets ultra aggressive. Their transition defense was the lowlight in an all-around lackluster showing on that end.
In addition to saying that the Raptors kicked their butts, Doc Rivers told reporters that the Sixers “still should be able to sneak out wins and win games with your effort. And I thought they had far more energy than us tonight.” They will have another crack at the Raptors on Friday night to make the right improvements to their demeanor and strategy against their division rival.
