3 observations after Sixers sink to 4th straight loss, fall to Raptors

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3 observations after Sixers sink to 4th straight loss, fall to Raptors originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers sunk to a fourth straight loss Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

With a 106-103 defeat to the Raptors, the Sixers fell to 13 games under .500 this season at 20-33.

Joel Embiid posted 27 points and 12 rebounds. Jared Butler added 15 points in 16 minutes.

Toronto’s Scottie Barnes had 33 points and 10 rebounds. Immanuel Quickley put up 23 points for the Raptors, who are now 17-37.

The Sixers were down Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management), Eric Gordon (right wrist sprain) and Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery).

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that he anticipates Lowry’s persistent right hip issue will sideline him for longer than a “day-to-day” timeline. He did not expect Gordon to be available Wednesday night in Brooklyn against the Nets.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss to Toronto:

Miserable first few minutes

The Sixers were far from sharp on either end out of the gates. Nurse had to burn a timeout at the 8:44 mark of the first quarter.

Their defensive woes were especially glaring. Maxey and George conceded early shooting fouls to Barnes, biting on pump fakes. Ochai Agbaji sunk a wide-open corner three-pointer.

On the ensuing possession, rookie center Jonathan Mogbo stole the ball from Kelly Oubre Jr. and went the other way for a dunk. The Sixers handled the Raptors’ ball pressure poorly on several occasions and allowed Toronto to score the night’s first nine points off turnovers. Following a Quickley and-one runner and Barnes dunk, the Raptors were up 17-4.

Maxey was very quiet for the Sixers in the first half, going scoreless and only taking one two shots. He’d averaged 16.2 first-half points over his last 18 games, which ranked second in the NBA.

Maxey ended the game with a season-low five points on 1-for-9 shooting.

Paul George’s approach was noticeably more aggressive than usual in the first quarter, though no Sixer had tons of success in a somewhat strange, 18-point opening period. George’s output was modest again in his…

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Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2025-02-11 21:27:00

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