The final result at the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday read that the Philadelphia 76ers came away with a 114-109 win over the Toronto Raptors. It was a solid road win for a team that is now 2-0 on this 3-game road trip, but it also was a game that was much closer than it probably should have.
The Raptors are a team that has been ravaged by COVID as they have a ton of guys in the health and safety protocols. Toronto had Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. return to the lineup, but they were still without the likes of Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiuwa, and Khem Birch in this one.
The Sixers began to pull away by going up by as many as 12, but the Raptors went on a big run late to take the lead before Philadelphia rallied. It was another close game that probably shouldn’t have been close, but at least they ended up winning the game.
“I will take ant win on the road any time, anyway,” said coach Doc Rivers. “You don’t get to just script the games. Like ‘Guys, tonight, let’s win by 30’. That just doesn’t happen. Not in this game.”
While Rivers has a good point, it still does not change the fact that the Sixers still had Joel Embiid, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey out on the floor while the Raptors were relying on a lot of replacements. The fact they had to rally win this one does seem a bit concerning.
“When we get the win, it’s great,” said Maxey. “That’s always the goal at the end. They made some tough shots at beginning of the game to stay in it and then they made some big tough shots late to take the lead. So for us to rally and rally together and get defensive stops, that’s always a good thing.”
Harris, who recorded his first career triple-double, did admit that it was an ugly game, but it was one that the Sixers were able to get. They just need ti clean some mistakes up.
“It wasn’t a pretty win for us,” said Harris. “We’ll take it, but we have to get better in a lot of areas. I thought it was a lot of simple mistakes towards the end of the game. A lot of plays that we got to be more cognizant of the importance of it, including myself.”
The Sixers did have the lead in the fourth quarter, though, and the Raptors were still able to recover and take the lead late on a Trent Jr. triple. Philadelphia has to learn from games like this.
“The defensive rebound that I got and they took it away and then for us not sending them to the free-throw line as well was another factor in them making 3s,” Harris added. “We have to be OK with having the lead, but we also have to be locked in and focused on maintaining that lead and not letting them come back into the game.”
The Sixers did win the game, however, and now they will look for a perfect road trip when they take on the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
“You just win the game,” Rivers finished. “You take it and you keep moving on. It’s the regular season. You’re just trying to win games and see how well you can win them. We missed a lot of easy shots down the stretch. They got every loose ball, but we still won the game, and that says a lot about your team.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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