READ MORE:

76ers Three Takeaways From Win vs Raptors

On Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers took to the court against the Toronto Raptors, for the second time in less than a week. Similarly to how things went down at the Scotia Bank Arena, the Sixers came out on top, beating the Raptors, 114-99. Despite the final score being separated by 15 points, the match had it’s tense moments, including seven lead changes through the 48 minutes. Joel Embiid led Philadelphia’s offensive charge, in both halves, putting up 15 points in the opening two quarters en route to recording a 28 point, 13 rebound double-double, his second of the season. The recently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Tyrese Maxey, had himself a night, scoring 18 points and dishing out four assists. While he finished the night strong, Maxey struggled in the half, only managing to score nine points, two below his season average for the opening two quarters. Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby kept their team in the race until deep into the fourth quarter, combining for 40 points. Kelly Oubre Jr Can Be A Starter For the first time since the Sixers’ trip to the Barclays Center in the preseason, Kelly Oubre Jr found himself in the starting lineup, filling the shoes of P.J. Tucker, following Tuesday’s trade. Just as his has done off the bench since joining the Sixers, Oubre flourished with the increase in playing time, scoring 23 points, which included five shots from down town, while grabbing five rebounds. While the 27-year-old certainly has some new found competition for a starting spot in the line up, he certainly made his case heard on Thursday night. Tobias Harris Is Back To Being A Part of the Big Three With James Harden out of Philadelphia, Tobias Harris has found himself back in the Sixers’ “Big Three” along side Maxey and Embiid for the first time in a while. The veteran forward put up 23 points, showing more of the offensive flair that Nick Nurse wanted him to work on and develop throughout the season. Harris flirted with a double-double, falling short by three rebounds, as he continues to be a quiet contributor for Philadelphia. De’Anthony Melton’s Struggles against Raptors Continue While most of the team flourished, with five Sixers putting up double digit points, the same cannot be said for De’Anthony Melton, who struggled. Melton ended the night with four points, only two points higher than his season low against the Raptors last week. While he has had more confident performances, putting up ten points against the Milwaukee Bucks, and 12 against the Blazers, his shot against Toronto has struggled. This is more of a recent struggle from Melton, as he averaged 11 points on 42-percent shooting against the Canadian side last season. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Read more at: https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/nba/article281372883.html#storylink=cpy