The Toronto Raptors were absolutely waxed on Opening Night, with the Cleveland Cavaliers coming into town and clobbering them. It seemed possible that as early as the first week of the season the Raptors were on track to give up and start chasing lottery odds. A Game 2 loss to a Philadelphia 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George would have only accelerated the despair.
Instead, the Raptors went into Philadelphia and read the 76ers their Bill of Rights, taking control of the game in the second half and holding on for a much-needed 115-107 victory. The Raptors' defense was elite, holding Philly to just 38.2 percent shooting from the field and dominating the glass 54-28. Tyrese Maxey was hounded by the likes of Davion Mitchell and Jamal Shead all game (shouts to D.J. Carton as well) and needed 23 shots to score 24 points after shooting 6-for-23 from the field.
Kyle Lowry shot 3-for-5 from deep and had another five free throws to keep the 76ers in the game, but they were too inefficient and didn't have the answers they needed on offense. The Raptors, despite also playing short-handed without four rotation players, throttled the Sixers and came away with the win.
Who stood out from the game? Let's look at those who "Popped" and those who "Flopped" from the exciting victory.
Scottie Barnes popped
Scottie Barnes had a truly disastrous first game to start the season and was in major need of a bounceback game. He received it, as the 76ers had no answers for him. He scored a hyper-efficient 27 points by shooting 8-for-9 from 2-point range (he missed a pair of 3-pointers) and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line. He chipped in five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in an all-around performance.
Barnes opened up the scoring by running the floor in transition and muscling past defenders for the finish, and at the end of the game he put the icing on the cake by dusting the Sixers' defense and driving to the rim for the emphatic slam. Philly often brought double-teams and Barnes was able to find his open teammate, generating advantage situations for the Raptors. It was a much better game for Barnes and hopefully is a portent of further growth to come.