Takeaways from Toronto Raptors dominant Game 5 victory over 76ers

In what is now the most lopsided playoff win in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors crushed the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 125-89 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. Here’s what stood out:

The Toronto Raptors, to their credit, were accommodating hosts Tuesday evening, allowing the Philadelphia 76ers to spend the better portion of the first quarter in the lead.

Still, Toronto would end the first up 27-26, and from there, the home team would run away to win in convincing fashion…by a margin of 36 points to be exact.

For the first time this series, Toronto saw all five of its starters finish in double digits, with Ibaka pitching in 10 off the bench as well. Kawhi Leonard was human, finishing with just 21 points on 7-16 shooting, including 0-4 from beyond the arc. (Jokes: I heard he was sick…)

The Raptors were led by a rejuvenated Pascal Siakam who finished with 25 points. Toronto’s star-in-the-making went to the charity stripe 10 times in the win, making nine and also finishing a team-best, +35.

In addition to Spicy’s resurgence, every Raptor player that stepped on the floor Tuesday did so with a purpose, seemingly unafraid and unaffected by the moment they found themselves in. In many ways, Game 5 was a must-win for both teams.

After evening the series with a gutsy Game 4 victory, Nick Nurse’s group knew how important it was to go up 3-2 with a win in Game 5. And remember, this team was embarrassed the last time they played on home court.

This time, it was the visitors who got embarrassed.

Now, on the brink of elimination, having lost two straight, the Philadelphia 76ers must now defend home court, and if they don’t, many will begin to question whether THE PROCESS has been flawed all along…?

BOXSCORE BULLIES

Toronto finished the game with just two blocks, one of which hilariously came from Kyle Lowry, a player not exactly known for his hops, much less, his shot-blocking ability. The 76ers swatted six Raptor attempts, giving the visitors four more blocks than the home team.

Apart from that little victory, Tuesday’s game was a forgettable one for the now do-or-die Sixers. Toronto devoured them in virtually every other statistical category.

Joel Embiid was more lethargic than usual, slowed by a respiratory infection, according to team officials. The big man missed morning shootaround and continues to have issues staying healthy. We’ll have to wait and see whether he is deemed 100 percent for Game 6.

Truth is, if Toronto brings this type of effort with it on the road, it’s hard to envision Philadelphia’s season lasting through Thursday, considering how outmatched Brett Brown’s team looked in what was the most important game of Philadelphia’s season.

Which team will be the aggressor in Game 6? Both will come out desperate, as Toronto looks to advance to the East Finals for just the second time in history, while the Sixers look to simply stay alive.

TRANSITION PROFICIENCY

Toronto did a better job dictating the pace in Game 5, leading to a 33-8 advantage in fastbreak points.

Fuelled by Kyle Lowry, the basketball equivalent of supreme gas, Toronto drained 16 threes in Tuesday’s win, many of them a byproduct of looking to run.

With Kawhi going 0-4 from distance, this was a case of other guys stepping up. The trio of Danny Green, Marc Gasol, and Kyle Lowry combined to shoot 10-17 from three.

It’s no secret the Raptors are more comfortable when they can get out and run, on both makes and misses. In previous games, Toronto’s rebounding struggles limited its transition opportunities. That wasn’t the case Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena, as Toronto outrebounded Philadelphia 42-37.

Limiting second-chance opportunities no doubt played a part in shutting down the likes of Ben Simmons and JJ Reddick, both of whom combined for 10 points on 4-11 shooting. Jimmy Butler led the Sixers with 22 points, but Toronto made him take 16 shots to get there, with Jimmy doing most his damage at the free-throw line, going 10-11 in 30 minutes.

It’s undeniably a tougher task to dictate tempo on the road, but it’s something the Raptors will make every effort to do Thursday if they want to continue to be as proficient on the offensive end.

KAWHI IS HUMAN

As hilarious as it is to call a stat line of 21/13/4/2 (pts/reb/ast/stl) “Ok”, that’s exactly how I’d choose to describe Kawhi Leonard’s performance in this one.

After being heavily leaned on in past games, Leonard wasn’t asked to perform miracle after miracle Tuesday night. Instead, his team helped carry the load. Six players finished in double figures. Shoutout to Fred VanVleet, who despite scoring just three meaningful points, played his best game of the series in the win.

As for Leonard, this win showed how good Toronto can be, even when its superstar has his B game. The Sixers did about as good a job on No. 2 as they could’ve hoped, and yet, they wound up losing by close to 40, not exactly an easy reality to shake off at any point in the year much less the playoffs.

For the Raptors, they best not spend too much time basking in the aura of this record-setting win. One more will give them legitimate cause for celebration, and while their opponent is likely to come out hungry and desperate in Game 6, the sting of this defeat isn’t likely to subside soon.

Philly is wounded, and Toronto, true to its name, must pounce and go in for the kill. It’s one thing to get blown out and move on, but it’s practically impossible for a team to put a loss like this in the rearview without allowing some doubt to creep into its collective mind.

The Raptors drew blood on Tuesday, and did so in a big way…it would serve them well to fly to Philly and, as they say in Mortal Kombat, “FINISH [THEM]”

As much as it helps to know a potential Game 7 would go down in Toronto, it getting to that point would mean the Raptors would’ve squandered a major opportunity to close the series in Game 6, a devastating turn of events after this Game 5 performance.

So, with that in mind, I think six is enough.