Philadelphia 76ers: 5 must-see November matchups

2. Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors. Monday, November 25th at 7:30 PM

Back to the scene of the crime.

The Sixers saw their NBA finals aspirations fade into oblivion on May 12th, when former Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard sunk a deep corner jumper that clung against every fathomable part of the rim.

With Leonard gone, the Raptors don’t look at formidable as last season. However, facing the defending champs in their house is a game worthy of circling on the calendar.

The Sixers look to end their woes north of the border. The Sixers have lost their last 13 regular-season games in Toronto, dating back to November 10th, 2012.

(Check out the history of their regular-season matchups on Land of Basketball).

One-sided dominance by a division rival can be toxic, and thus Philly should relish an early season opportunity to travel north.

Headlining Toronto’s lineup is forward Pascal Siakam, who inked a huge four-year, $130 million extension, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. Siakam is 13th in the NBA in points per game, pouring in a little over 25 a night.

Toronto isn’t just squeaking by opponents with Siakam on the floor. In four out of seven games this season, Siakam has a plus/minus of +9 or better, and all four of those games resulted in wins.

The long 6-foot-9 emerging forward will be a handful for a stingy Sixers frontcourt.

The Raptors have shot the three exceptionally well this season. As a team, they are shooting 39.8 percent from beyond this season, good enough for third-best in the NBA.

The entire Raptors starting lineup is shooting over 38 percent on 3s this season. The Sixers pride themselves on defense, and it will be exciting to see if Philly can startle the Raptors hot shooting.

Despite a revamped defense, Philly sits at 25th in the NBA in opponent three-point percentage. If the Raptors can expose this weakness, it could be another long trip north of the border.