No historic comeback for Raptors, who drop ugly 132-97 loss to Sixers

The Toronto Raptors fell brief of their bid for an historic NBA playoff comeback.

Chris Boucher had 25 factors and 10 rebounds, whereas Pascal Siakam added 24 factors, however a poor capturing evening and a discombobulated defensive effort noticed the Raptors fall 132-97 to the Philadelphia 76ers in Sport 6 of their best-of-seven playoff collection.

Joel Embiid had 33 factors and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, who gained the collection 4-2, and can face the Miami Warmth within the second spherical.

Gary Trent Jr. completed with 19 factors, whereas rookie Scottie Barnes had 18 factors for the Raptors, who had been taking part in with out all-star guard Fred VanVleet.

The Raptors regarded all however cooked after dropping the collection’ first three video games, however gained two elimination video games as hope grew amongst followers for an historic collection win.

Coming off a dominant 103-88 win on Monday, the Raptors saved it inside seven factors for the primary half regardless of horrible capturing. However they by no means regarded in synch on both finish of the ground all evening, and the Sixers blew the sport vast open with a 30-9 run within the third quarter.

The Sixers hit six threes within the quarter, to the groans of the Scotiabank Enviornment crowd of 19,800 followers, and a Harden lengthy bomb put Philly up by 22 factors with 3:52 left within the body. The guests outscored Toronto 37-17 within the quarter, and led 99-78 to start out the fourth.

A Barnes jumper lower than a minute into the fourth slashed the distinction to 18, however Embiid nearly singlehandedly snuffed out any hopes of an unbelievable comeback, scoring 10 factors in lower than 4 minutes. And when Tobias Harris threw down a dunk with 4:34 to play, the basket put Philly up by 27 factors.

Embiid ran again up the court docket along with his arms outstretched like an airplane in celebration like he famously did within the 2019 Japanese Convention semifinals towards Toronto. Boos rained down on the seven-foot centre.

Harris’s three with 3:38 to play noticed the Sixers go up by 32 factors, and despatched quite a few followers heading for the exits.

Siakam fouled out of the sport with 2:14 to play, and acquired a standing ovation as he left the sport. The Scotiabank Enviornment crowd chanted “Let’s go Raptors!” as Nurse subbed off his starters at that time.

The Raptors shot simply 7-for-35 — 20 per cent — from three-point vary, and 39.3 per cent from the sphere. Philly shot 40 per cent from lengthy distance and a whopping 58 per cent from the sphere.

Quite a few Toronto athletes had been readily available to witness the loss, together with Maple Leafs Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner, Alexander Kerfoot and Wayne Simmonds, Toronto FC’s Ayo Akinola and Ifunanyachi Achara, and former Raptor Cory Joseph.

The Raptors sorely missed the regular hand of three-point specialist VanVleet, who sat his second straight sport with a strained left hip flexor. The Raptors struggled from lengthy distance all collection. Nick Nurse saved saying they had been due for a giant three-point capturing sport.

“They will begin entering into, I hold saying that,” Nurse mentioned after Wednesday’s follow. “Subsequent sport might be nearly as good as any for them to start out entering into.”

It wasn’t to be.

The Raptors‘ loss ended a season that started with low expectations, however picked up momentum after the all-star break when the Raptors gained 14 of their last 18 video games.

With their win in Philly on Monday, the Raptors turned the 14th workforce — and first since Milwaukee in 2015 — to drive a Sport 6 after trailing 3-0. The Bucks went on to lose 6-2 to Chicago. Within the league’s 75-year historical past, 146 groups have confronted 3-0 deficits in seven-game collection.

The Raptors had been trying to change into the fourth NBA workforce to drive a Sport 7 after trailing 3-0. The Portland Path Blazers, in 2003, had been the latest workforce to do it, towards the Dallas Mavericks. The Denver Nuggets, in 1994, climbed again from a 3-0 deficit, as did the New York Knicks within the 1951 NBA Finals. All three, after all, misplaced Sport 7.

The Raptors hit seven of their first eight photographs, then went greater than 5 minutes with no subject aim, lacking 10 straight photographs. Harden, who had simply 15 factors in Sport 5, had 10 within the quarter, and the Sixers led by seven a few instances. Philly was up 34-29 to start out the second.

A Boucher three-pointer highlighted a 15-5 run to start out the second that noticed the Raptors go up by 5. Inexperienced had 4 three-pointers and 12 factors within the quarter because the Sixers battled again, and led 62-61 at halftime.

The Raptors shot simply 3-for-15 from lengthy distance within the first half.

The Sixers had been with out Matisse Thybulle, who is not eligible to journey to Toronto as a result of he is not absolutely vaccinated for COVID-19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed April 28, 2022.