The Philadelphia 76ers were right there in Game 7 in Toronto. They were tied at 90 and looking to force overtime before Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard got the mother of all shooter’s rolls to drop for him at the buzzer and the Sixers title hopes were dashed on that May night in The 6ix.
Fast forward six months later and the tables have turned a bit. The Sixers are right in the thick of the title contention conversations while the defending champion Raptors are more hopeful than anything after losing Leonard in the offseason. Toronto is still a good team, but are not considered to be on the same level as Philadelphia. It’s a perfect opportunity to let out some frustration from what happened in the past.
With that being said, it’s time for the game preview with all of the works:
How to watch Sixers vs. Raptors
- Date: Monday, November 25
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON Canada
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Injury Report
- Sixers: QUESTIONABLE: Furkan Korkmaz(left ankle sprain), Kyle O’Quinn(left calf strain)
- Raptors: OUT: Kyle Lowry(left thumb fracture), Stanley Johnson(left groin strain), Dewan Hernandez(right thumb sprain) DOUBTFUL: Serge Ibaka(right ankle sprain)
Storylines
Sixers chemistry growing
The Sixers vaunted and hyped starting lineup has only played seven games together, but they have been a dominant lineup outscoring opponents by 29.4 points. On top of that, they believe their on-court chemistry is beginning to really grow. Josh Richardson really believes the team is beginning to grow something real after the win over the Miami Heat on Saturday.
Richardson stated:
I think I saw our chemistry get better. For instance, Tobias(Harris) and I had a little back and forth, but nothing bad. It was one of those things where I was screaming at him for the ball to get it to a mismatch, but he didn’t understand it. We then explained it and it didn’t escalate. We fist bumped it and kept it going. I saw a few other instances like that. I think when you can go at your teammates like that and come out of it positively, that’s a good step forward.
Embiid progressing in passing out of doubles
Joel Embiid is such a dominating player that teams have no choice, but to double team him when he has the ball. They will send waves of defenders at him and force him to make quick decisions which would then cause some bad turnovers. That has been the one bugaboo in his game as he really begins to polish his game. He only had two turnovers in the win over Miami and that was something to be happy about.
Coach Brett Brown stated:
We have spent a lot of time on floor spots, so some of that is on me. He knows now his outlets when he wants to quarterback a gym. He understands, and we can help him, where the double teams are coming from. We found those spots quickly and made shots from those spots. It’s always rewarding for him.
Prediction
The Raptors are a hobbled bunch, Missing Kyle Lowry is a big loss and Serge Ibaka might not even play, but Pascal Siakam has continued his progression towards stardom as he has taken his game to another level. Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Norman Powell are all big parts of their team success. Philadelphia is beginning to find their groove, however, and it appears they’re ready to find something real moving forward. They should be able to take get rid of some demons from the playoffs.
Pick: Sixers in a close one
Sixers vs. Raptors season series
Game 1 November 25:
Game 2 December 8:
Game 3 January 22:
Game 4 March 18:
[lawrence-related id=19981,19967,19957]