76ers 123, Raptors 112: Maxey and Embiid erase an early hole without LeBron James
Philadelphia trailed by as many as 16 and survived a first-quarter scare to Joel Embiid before pulling away from a short-handed Toronto.
The Philadelphia 76ers fell behind early, watched Joel Embiid go down in the first quarter, and still beat the Toronto Raptors 123-112 on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 27 points, Embiid returned to score 20 and Jaylen Brown added 18 as the 76ers improved to 10-3.
Philadelphia played without LeBron James, who missed his third game of the season with a back issue, according to the Associated Press. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported it was the 76ers' third straight win without him.
A slow start, then a 19-1 run
Toronto came out flying. The Raptors led by as many as 16 in the first half, per the AP, and took the first quarter 33-24. The Inquirer reported that Toronto shot 12-for-24 with 11 fast-break points before Philadelphia found its footing.
The turn came across the quarter break. According to the Inquirer, the 76ers held Toronto scoreless for 4 minutes, 24 seconds spanning the end of the first and the start of the second, and after a 1-for-8 start from three made four of their next five during a 19-1 run that wiped out the deficit. The teams went to halftime tied 60-60.
Philadelphia took control late in the third quarter and led 96-87 going into the fourth. Toronto had one more push: Jamison Battle's 3-pointer with 4:42 left cut the margin to six. The 76ers answered by scoring 10 of the next 13 points, finished off by a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3-pointer, the AP reported.
The Embiid scare
Embiid was listed as questionable before the game (the Inquirer described it as right foot plantar fascia management) and was upgraded to available before tipoff. In the first quarter he went down clutching his right knee after a collision, went to the locker room, and returned before the quarter ended. He finished with 20 points, including two dunks after his return, per the Inquirer.
The supporting cast
Philadelphia's bench mattered. Anfernee Simons scored 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting from three and Caldwell-Pope added 11, the Inquirer reported. VJ Edgecombe filled the box score with 15 points, eight assists, eight rebounds and three steals.
What it means
For Philadelphia, it was a clean response to Tuesday's 123-101 loss to Boston, Brown's first game against his former team. At 10-3, the 76ers sit half a game behind the Celtics (10-2) in the Atlantic Division, per ESPN.
For Toronto, the picture is harder. RJ Barrett scored 31 and Immanuel Quickley 25, but the Raptors (5-7) have lost four of five. They were on the second night of a back-to-back after blowing a 22-point lead in a 98-93 home loss to Boston on Wednesday, and they remain without Kawhi Leonard (knee), who missed his 10th straight game, and Scottie Barnes (groin), out for a fourth straight.
Both teams are back on Sunday: Toronto hosts the New York Knicks and Philadelphia hosts the Indiana Pacers.