Raptors Rapture
Fansided

Toronto Raptors: Takeaways from the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers

By Andrew Hughes

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 8: OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors dunks the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 8, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 8: OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors dunks the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 8, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors – Pascal Siakam (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Where do the Toronto Raptors turn when it seems as if nothing is going their way?

In the first half, Siakam looked like he didn’t know what to do on offense nor how to defend Tobias Harris. Meanwhile, the referees seemingly had a hometown whistle. Shots weren’t falling for the Raptors and it seemed like the 76ers could do no wrong. So, how will the Raptors combat games like this one in the future?

What seemingly worked out for the Raptors is clamping down on defense and turning up the full-court pressure. While full-court pressure is very tiring, it seemed to be the only thing that finally forced the game into the favor of the Raptors.

Early on in the first half, Kyle Lowry did his darnedest to bark at the referees and draw foul calls, but he simply wasn’t getting those calls. Instead of switching the strategy, it seemed as if Lowry kept trying to get calls when it wasn’t in the cards, which led to a sloppy offense that wasn’t in the flow of the game.

The lack of flow didn’t help the players surrounding Lowry and therefore the team never seemed to play as a unit until the waning minutes when their defense turned up.

Of course, Lowry is just making his way back from injury, so it’s clear that players surrounding him are still trying to get reacquainted with the way he runs the offense. Yet, hopefully, they all took notice that when they turned up their pressure, they started gaining ground on the 76ers.

For a majority of the season, they have turned to defense to help them combat shooting woes and, unlike this game, it usually worked out to their favor. The Raptors really have to dig in defensively in the future and force things to start going their way.

If not, more trouble could await them against strong teams.

Home/Raptors News