Raptors Struggle in Loss to 76ers
The game started strong with the Raptors hitting their shots early. Quickley drained three quick triples while Scottie Barnes defended well against Joel Embiid. Ochai Agbaji started for the injured Jakob Poeltl. Notably, the 76ers wore their classic Iverson-era black jerseys matched by a themed court.
The 76ers edged out the Raptors 17-15 in the opening stretch. Trendon Watford was aggressive early, scoring 7 points and grabbing two offensive rebounds, capitalizing on the limited defensive focus on him.
Philadelphia effectively fed the ball to Tyrese Maxey, the NBA’s leading scorer, keeping their offense flowing. Meanwhile, the Raptors responded with two threes from Shead and one from Barrett, allowing them to take the lead.
When Sandro Mamukelashvili entered, Maxey faced tougher defense, but the Raptors improved ball movement with 10 of their first 11 buckets assisted.
Collin Murray-Boyles also made his debut off the bench and impressed immediately. He contributed on defense by intercepting Oubre Jr., applied ball pressure, rolled to the basket, and made good passing decisions.
"Back to Murray-Boyles – he was fantastic in his opening minutes. Provided some punch on defense, plucked Oubre Jr. in the open court while providing ball pressure, rolled to the bucket, and moved the ball on when he was meant to."
The change in starting lineup reflected a shift in the overall rotation, impacting the dynamics on both ends.
Author's summary: Despite solid individual efforts and improved ball movement, the Raptors fell short against the 76ers, struggling to maintain momentum throughout the game.