The Toronto Raptors overcame the Philadelphia 76ers with a strong defensive effort on Wednesday night. How did everyone grade in the win?
Well, that was certainly a game. The Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers both came into this game on the back of four-game winning streaks. By the end of this game, only one would carry into five games.
Thankfully, it would be the Toronto Raptors who would prevail in this game. As imagined though, it wouldn’t be easy. Even without Joel Embiid, the 76ers are still one of the most talented teams in the NBA – and they flew out of the traps in the first quarter, notching a nine-point lead and putting up 35 points on one of the best defenses in the league.
After that though, points were hard to come by for the Sixers – especially in the paint. Brett Brown’s team totaled just 18 points in the paint, relying on their three-point shooting to get the job done. When the Raptors started to clamp down on defense, that became a lot harder.
The Raptors would still need to claw their way back into the game, though. That means relying on their stars to do the business. Ultimately, Pascal Siakam struggled on offense but the Raptors were still able to get their points from Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet, and Kyle Lowry.
A 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter opened the door for the Raptors to get ahead in the fourth quarter, and they never looked back. The Sixers always kept it close, but VanVleet’s clutch shooting combined with everyone around him, the Raptors were able to close out the game and win 107-95.
It’s a vital win in the race for the coveted two-seed, a win the Raptors most definitely earned. Do the grades reflect that sentiment?