The Philadelphia 76ers (3-1) faced the Toronto Raptors (2-4) after a long break from action. Something significant happened since they last played, in case you haven’t heard. In their first game since this past Sunday, the Sixers beat a team that they will be linked to in trade rumors for the next few months. Final score: 114-99.

Let's break down the Sixers' first post-James Harden game.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 28 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 8-22 FG shooting

Embiid did his scoring in the paint, at the foul line and with jumpers from just outside the block. The Raptors struggled to neutralize him inside, so they did their best to force him to get the ball further out. It worked somewhat. But they had even fewer answers for scoring on him near the hoop. He was once again very good on defense.

Tobias Harris: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 10-17 FG shooting

Tonight was a great game for Harris. He attacked the basket with authority instead of constantly settling in and searching for a face-up/post-up look, made quick decisions, hit a pair of threes and locked in on defense. Record scratches have often been Harris' Achilles heel but he played as if he took a pregame shower in the river Styx. He did get some post-up looks but made the most of them.

Tyrese Maxey: 18 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 2 steals, 7-16 FG shooting

It feels like Maxey has the ball in his hands less when Embiid rests. He still gets put into sets that aim to get him the ball but it's something that the Sixers will have to adjust at some point. Their other guards just don’t look great handling the rock.

Still, Maxey weaponized his speed to score and continued to flash his impressive playmaking leap. When he's playing well but is still just the fourth-leading scorer (Kelly Oubre Jr. had 23 points), it's bound to be a good night for the Sixers.

Raptors player notes:

Scottie Barnes: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 9-16 FG shooting

Barnes was red hot to start this one, powering his way through the defense and hitting a pair of triples early on. Although his scoring barrage came early, he continued to play well throughout the game. He guarded Embiid on numerous possessions and was consistently the guy on the other side making things hard for Pilly.

Pascal Siakam: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 5-11 FG shooting

After a two-point first half, Siakam did a little more damage in the second half but not a whole lot. He was very aggressive on defense but didn’t really make his impact felt in this one and picked up five fouls.

Game recap:

1st half

Kelly Oubre Jr. was elevated to the starting lineup in place of the recently traded P.J. Tucker, whose presence will be missed by the team, Nick Nurse said. He didn’t dismiss the possibility of playing them tonight (aside from Nicolas Batum, who was ruled out due to personal reasons) but he also stressed the importance of bringing them along smoothly. Each guy warmed up with the intention of being ready.

OG Anunoby was back in the Raptors' starting lineup after missing the Sixers and Raptors' clash this past weekend. Toronto was on the second night of a back-to-back after demolishing the Milwaukee Bucks in a big road win.

Right out of the gate, Oubre was an upgrade from Tucker on offense but not on defense. He splashed a three from the wing and dunked after securing an offensive board — two things Tucker never did. But as he guarded Barnes, he got bullied on his way to the paint, conceding a bucket and then committing a foul that sent Barnes to the charity stripe. Barnes had 12 points on 4-4 shooting in the first five minutes largely thanks to his size advantage over the slimmer Oubre.

Furkan Korkmaz and Patrick Beverley were the Sixers' first subs of the night, taking out Oubre and De'Anthony Melton halfway through the opening period. Jaden Springer came in with Melton with just over three minutes left, playing a smaller lineup with Korkmaz essentially at the four. Tonight's lineups were brand new and played like it, though the Raptors being a highly suspect team on offense (and sending the Sixers to the foul line) allowed Philly to maintain an early edge.

Harris got off to a strong start with nine points and two assists in the first quarter. He looked sharper as a decision-maker and downhill slasher while playing some tough defense. To start the quarter, he pump-faked and side-stepped into a triple, though he also got stripped of the ball by Malachi Flynn. Philly was again out of sorts to begin the second quarter, getting outscored 11-3 in the first three-plus minutes. Former Sixer Jalen McDaniels put in a transition layup that led to a Sixers timeout.

Paul Reed, of all people, helped steady the ship for the Sixers with some key defensive stops and energy on the boards. He didn’t do his thing without committing a few fouls but he did still have some solid plays. In his second stint, Korkmaz got the crowd going with a steal, an open-floor dunk (that Maxey assisted with a slick wrap-around pass) and then a corner triple on the next possession. He went on to draw a charge. Kork: popped.

The Sixers built up a lead in Embiid's second-quarter minutes, heading into the break up 58-49.

2nd half

The Raptors found a new wind to begin the second half, scoring at will in the paint and sending Dennis Schroder to double Embiid when he got the ball down low. Embiid stopped them from snatching the lead by sending a Siakam dunk back, fueling a Maxey fast-break layup.

But the Sixers still clung to their narrow lead. Forcing Embiid to start his touches further from the hoop made things much easier for the Toronto defense. The big man was unable to navigate his way to the bucket with a tougher, longer path, which gunked up Philly's flow. Embiid almost made things worse with an over-the-shoulder pass that Oubre Beckham Jr. snagged and scored on, turning what could have easily been a garage pass into gold.

Maxey's tough finishes at the rim kept the Sixers afloat, as did some stingy defense. Embiid met everyone who came into the paint looking to score and the guys around him forced some turnovers. Beverley made some hustle plays, including a backcourt steal and score that resulted in him clapping in the face of Flynn. He did it again after an Oubre triple that put Philly up by 11 and was hit with a tech. The Sixers closed out the third quarter with Korkmaz stripping the ball from Chris Boucher and finishing an and-one, reverse layup on a feed from Embiid. The crowd got LOUD on that play.

Korkmaz piled it on with a floater to start the fourth as the Raptors struggled to pull even. Embiid returned in the fourth quarter as Toronto found a little momentum with a small-ball lineup with Siakam at the five. Oubre padded the lead with his fourth triple in five tries and Maxey fed Embiid for an open dunk to pad it again. A two-handed slam from Harris, which he started by deflecting a Barnes pass to himself, put the Raptors on the ropes and a corner three from Oubre, which gave him 23 points on the night, was the knockout blow.

New Sixers K.J. Martin and Robert Covington closed out the final 75 seconds of the game and Thad Young gave the crowd free Chick-fil-A with a pair of missed free throws.

Random rumblings:

  • I don’t think James Harden was wrong when he said he was a system and not a system player in his introductory press conference with LAC. The catch is that it's a system with massive flaws that he doesn’t sound willing to recognize. I really am fascinated to see how that team looks to work together. Will Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook fit into that system or will Ty Lue make him change his game in a significant way(s)?
  • However, one thing I disagree with Harden on is when he said his sacrifices in both altering his role and taking a pay cut are not talked about. That’s nonsense. They were absolutely recognized, especially after he pointed it out after winning the first-round series. That quote has been rehashed in stories for months. Also, the sacrifices that were made don’t look as rosy after how last season ended, which is perhaps why the praise of them died down.

The Sixers will face the Phoenix Suns on Saturday afternoon and debut their City Edition getup.