Raptors top 76ers 103-88, force Game 6 at home
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 23 factors, Treasured Achiuwa had 17 and the Toronto Raptors compelled a return house for Sport 6 of their Jap Convention first-round sequence towards Philadelphia, beating the 76ers 103-88 on Monday night time.
Yo, Canada! As soon as holding a 3-0 sequence lead, the 76ers are headed again north.
The Raptors have received two straight within the sequence and jumped throughout injured Sixers middle Joel Embiid and ineffective James Harden to make Thursday night time’s sport a necessity.
Embiid had 20 factors and 11 rebounds taking part in with a thumb damage. Harden scored 15 factors on 4-of-11 capturing.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers is dragging the load of ignominious NBA historical past with him via customs. Rivers, who led Boston to the 2008 championship, is the one coach in NBA historical past to blow three 3-1 sequence leads. The Magic misplaced to Detroit within the 2003 Jap Convention first spherical; the 2015 Clippers blew the sequence to Houston within the Western Convention semifinals; and in 2020, the Clippers misplaced to Denver within the West semifinals.
The subsequent season, Rivers was in Philly — and the Sixers misplaced three video games at house because the No. 1 seed and have been eradicated within the second spherical.
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The nerves in Philly are all of a sudden as tight as the edges.
The Sixers had a depressing first half. They completed with 10 turnovers and shot 35% from the ground. Philly’s final bucket within the first quarter was one for the blooper reel: Matisse Thybulle’s missed shot bounced off the rim and was by accident tipped in by Achiuwa.
Whoops.
Possibly it sparked one thing for the Raptors. They opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run to take management all whereas the Sixers missed their first 9 photographs. The Sixers didn’t rating till 6:51 was left within the half. Scottie Barnes scored eight factors within the quarter and the Raptors took a 54-41 lead on the break.
The 76ers have been booed off the courtroom, their play a bleak reminder of some latest postseason flameouts.
“We’ve generated actually good photographs a lot of the sequence,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse stated earlier than the sport. “We haven’t shot very properly but. I informed the fellows at present, at present could be day to go forward and begin making a few of these open photographs.”
The Raptors listened, hovering round 50% for a lot of the sport. Additionally they managed the boards and scored 20 factors off turnovers.
Harden may have used the capturing tip.
Harden performed the identical night time the All-Star he was traded for, Ben Simmons, was inactive for Brooklyn. Harden was barely extra seen and missed 6 of 8 photographs via three quarters, scoring 9 factors.
Embiid continued to play with a ligament tear in his proper thumb. He appeared gassed at instances within the third quarter because the Raptors stored attacking the MVP finalist for powerful buckets, notably Achiuwa’s driving layup that made it 73-60.
TIP-INS
Raptors: All-Star level guard Fred VanVleet sat out with a left hip flexor pressure. VanVleet stated he was harm in Sport 4 and was uncertain if he may play in Sport 6.
76ers: Embiid was fined $15,000 for criticizing the officiating in Sport 4. … John Calipari, who coached 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey at Kentucky, was on the sport.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Embiid should wait till after the season for thumb surgical procedure.
“There’s no therapy. There actually isn’t,” Rivers stated. “If there’s one factor I do know, it’s not going to get any worse. There’s actually no ice, there’s no therapy for that till after the season.”
UP NEXT
The Sixers will play Sport 6 with out Thybulle. Thybulle, who sat out Video games 3 and 4, is barred from getting into Canada as a result of he isn’t absolutely vaccinated towards COVID-19.
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