Lowry leads Raptors past 76ers

Kyle Lowry had a big first half amid reports that Toronto has offered him in a trade, Kawhi Leonard finished with 24 points, and the Raptors held off the Philadelphia 76ers 119-107 on Tuesday night in a matchup between two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Lowry and Serge Ibaka each had 20 points to overcome the Joel Embiidled Sixers. Embiid had 37 points and 13 rebounds for his league-leading 44th double-double, Ben Simmons scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler had 18.

With the Sixers trailing by 18 early in the fourth quarter, Embiid ripped off 12 points in a three-minute stretch to slice Toronto’s lead to 108-101 with 6:59 left and get the home crowd on its feet for the first time all night. But the Raptors (3916) never let the Sixers (3420) get closer than seven.

After erupting for 40 points in the first quarter behind 11-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line, the Raptors built a 21-point advantage midway through the second quarter. Lowry, who missed Toronto’s last game due to back soreness, fuelled the run with three 3pointers in a two-minute stretch.

Lowry seemed unfazed by a report from Sports Illustrated that Toronto had offered him to Memphis as part of a trade package for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.

He added another 3, which bounced all around the rim before dropping in, four minutes before halftime to help Toronto take a 72-55 lead into the break — the Raptors’ best offensive first half of the season. The Philadelphia native and Villanova alum had 17 first-half points.

The Sixers were without two starters as Wilson Chandler (quad) missed his second straight game while JJ Redick was a late scratch due to nausea.