PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers took care of business against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, leaning on a second-quarter explosion to garner a lead big enough to hold onto the rest of the way out. Joel Embiid didn't have a great game. but he was good enough to help get the Sixers a win. It's safe to say that this is a game he's glad to put behind him.

Last time the Sixers played the Raptors, Embiid pointed to the way the Raptors play aggressively against opposing stars. He suggested that they care more about that than actually winning the game. After clawing to another win against them, he didn't back off that take.

“I stand by what I said last time,” Joel Embiid said. “Toronto, the way they play, obviously they step up to the best players and as long as they hold the other team's best players to, whatever, 10, 15, 20, they're probably happy with it. And I was happy with it because we scored a lot. We got a bunch of open shots. We hit them all in the first half and then in the third quarter, we kind of got cold. And then, we got it back.”

The Raptors double-teamed Embiid often and shifted their defense toward him when he was in the post. They had Jakob Poeltl size up to him initially before switching OG Anunoby (and sometimes Scottie Barnes) onto him and having Poeltl lurk off the ball. Embiid had 25 points on 7-13 shooting — still quite good but certainly below his usual standards.

The Sixers and Raptors aren't genuine rivals but there is some real animosity between the two sides. Embiid experienced his first playoff heartbreak at Toronto's hands before beating the Raptors in the first round last season. In that series win, he got so banged up that he had to sit out part of the next round. Many fans openly express that they don't enjoy matchups against Toronto for that reason.

Thankfully for them, the Sixers will most likely not see the Raptors in the 2022-23 postseason. In what was likely their last meeting of the season, Embiid came through with some big plays while James Harden and the bench stepped up to secure a huge victory.