PHILADELPHIA — It wasn't the prettiest shooting night for Joel Embiid but he and the Philadelphia 76ers got the job done against the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers blew a second-half lead but got the win, their fifth straight. Embiid and Tobias Harris had it going on, combining for 59 points.
Meanwhile, De'Anthony Melton had a very rough shooting night, converting just three of his 14 shots from the field. But his looks were good looks, and he also contributed seven rebounds and great defense. He played a key part in forcing Fred VanVleet into shooing 3-15 from the field. Two of his triples came in the fourth quarter.
Embiid explained that Melton continuing to shoot is huge for him and the Sixers' offense. In doing so, he took a shot at the Raptors and how they play defense.
“We’re always on him, me especially,” Embiid said of Melton. “Everybody really, because I know that as long as they keep shooting, whether it's him Tobias, P.J. [Tucker], James [Harden], guys coming off the bench. As long as they keep shooting — it doesn't matter if I make it or not — it makes my job easier.
“But when you play a team like Toronto, they don’t really care. It seems like, most of the time, they don't care about winning. They just want to shut down the other star players,” the Sixers big man continued. “But when you play that, you got to be ready all night. You got to stay alert and have the confidence of just keep shooting it and hope that you make them when they come, and that's what he did tonight.”
Saying the Raptors don't care about winning is certainly a hyperbolic statement from Joel Embiid. However, Toronto does play a style of defense that heavily emphasizes double-teaming Embiid. He was swarmed by their long, rangy defenders and had to keep the ball moving while finding his shot. Embiid ended the night with 28 points on 6-16 shooting from the field.
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