PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Toronto Raptors, looking to get back in the win column after three straight losses. For the Sixers, the climb up the Eastern Conference standings has been a slog at best. Against a Raptors team missing RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Jakob Poeltl, Philly had a perfect opportunity but ultimately squandered it.
What worked for the Sixers
Philadelphia’s bench was a true asset in this game. Guerschon Yabusele had his typical positive impact, but the performance of newcomers Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler was even more encouraging.
The pair of guards finished with a combined 28 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals while playing major roles in the Sixers’ various successful runs throughout the game. After the game, Nick Nurse spoke about their performance.
“He played pretty good,” Nurse said following the game. “I think one of the things he didn’t shoot it well like he can, but he did a lot of other good things. I thought he was solid on [defense], rebounding, got out in transition with some speed. I thought both him and Jared brought some great energy off the bench. Obviously, [we] started Quentin in the second half just to change it up with a little look there. But yeah, I thought both those guys were pretty decent tonight.”
What didn’t
After a rather lethargic initial wave from Philadelphia, the Sixers reverted to their tried and true “feed the pig” offense, loading Embiid up at the nail and letting the big fella take it from there. That boosted Embiid’s statistical output but did little to separate the two teams. For every bucket or free throw Embiid collected, Scottie Barnes matched him and then some.
Part of the struggle was that Philadelphia repeatedly failed to knock down wide-open shots from deep. Tyrese Maxey, in particular, struggled throughout the game, failing to register a single point until there were less than three minutes left in the third quarter. After the game, Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse stated that he didn’t wish to speculate before speaking to Tyrese but would go on to say, “I have a feeling that there’s something; I hope not, but I think there might be something physically bothering him.”
It’s odd to preface a statement in such a manner only to undermine the preface with the following statement, but that’s far from the oddest happening this season. As for what is actually happening with Tyrese, at least as it pertains to this game, once Maxey or the team knows the situation, then it can be further explored; until then, it remains an odd statement from the head coach, especially as the effective mic drop to his press conference.
Up next for the Sixers
Philadelphia quickly travels up to Brooklyn for a Wednesday night matchup against the Nets. While Brooklyn is supposed to be tanking, head coach Jordi Fernandez finds a new way to fill his squad with determination every night. This is not another game the Sixers can take lightly if they’re to cling to their postseason aspirations.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., and you can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia or, as always, listen live on 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
