1 hidden matchup the Raptors can exploit in 76ers playoff series

The Toronto Raptors are facing the Philadelphia 76ers after making an impressive climb to the No. 5 seed in the second half of the season. The Raptors beat the 76ers 3-1 in the season series, and the one they lost was by just five without Scottie Barnes, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. Toronto is 2-0 against Philly with James Harden.

This matchup is expected to be a tough battle for both sides, with MVP candidate Joel Embiid and former MVP James Harden leading the 76ers while All-NBA candidate Pascal Siakam and NBA All-star Fred VanVleet spearhead the Raptors’ attack.

While most of the attention will be focused on containing Harden and making sure that Embiid is not allowed to dominate the game in the way he usually does. However, hidden matchups can make all the difference in the playoffs. There are weaknesses that Toronto could look to take advantage of.

If the Raptors want to make it past the 76ers, they have to take advantage of the lack of frontcourt depth on this Philadelphia roster. Siakam will be tasked with an enormous chunk of responsibility on offense, but he could replicate his gaudy second-half stats by attacking Tobias Harris and Georges Niang in the paint.

The Toronto Raptors need to attack the 76ers in the paint.

Last year, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 112 points and dished 13 dimes on 57.3% shooting when he was matched up against Blake Griffin in their win against the Nets.

With Harris and Niang likely to pair with one of either DeAndre Jordan or Paul Reed when Embiid takes a rest, Nick Nurse needs to copy this blueprint and make Siakam in the paint the main way of scoring.

Siakam played in three out of the four games in the season series against the Sixers. In those three games, he scored 23 points and six assists against Harris on 10-18 shooting. He has 17 points and three assists against Niang on 7-11 shooting.

On the other hand, Siakam has not done so well while Embiid was guarding him.  Siakam scored 18 points and tallied eight assists against Embiid on 8-24 shooting. Siakam was 7-16 against Embiid inside the three-point line.

Siakam can definitely take on Embiid from inside the three-point line. However, unlike Embiid, Harris, and Niang are simply not capable of guarding Siakam. The Raptors should take full advantage of that to improve their chances of winning.

If Toronto can consistently scheme up scenarios in which Reed is down in the low block and Jordan is pulled out to the perimeter, Siakam could be in for 30-point nights regularly.