Scouting the Sixers’ final eight regular-season games
The Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Toronto Raptors
If there is a team in the NBA who just seem to have the Philadelphia 76ers’ goat, it’s the Toronto Raptors.
Sure, the Sixers picked up a rare home win over Drake’s favorite team in 2019, technically their fourth of that calendar year, but the Raptors still waxed Philly in four of their last seven contests against one another regardless of the presence of Kawhi Leonard.
With Kyle Lowrey in the backcourt, Pascal Siakam in the frontcourt, and noted-Embiid-buster Marc Gasol splitting snaps with Serge Ibaka at the five, the Raptors can beat teams in a variety of different ways, sometimes in the very same game.
Nick Nurse could also opt to play a deeper bench against the Sixers in a calculated move to save his starters some punishment in an ultimately pointless contest against two teams guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, a bad sign since the Raptors’ reserve unit is one of the best in the NBA.
If the Philadelphia 76ers are going to beat the Raptors in one game, they’ll need to be on the offense for the entire contest, as it’s very, very hard to climb out of a hole against a deep bench like Toronto’s.
Personally, this feels like another necessary loss that could ultimately help in the long run.