Sixers put Raptors in 2-0 series hole
Toronto fails to take advantage when Philly big man Embiid is off the court
SIXERS 112, RAPTORS 97 (Philadelphia leads series 2-0)
In more ways than just a couple, the Toronto Raptors answered the challenge in Game 2.
Unfortunately, the game was longer than just that first quarter.
As good as they were from a physicality standpoint — and from a defensive standpoint, at least in the early going — the margin for error remains very slim and the visitors made one glaring one in Game 2 that blew this one wide open.
The Sixers, who dominated all of Game 1, had that similar in-control feeling for the final three quarters of Game 2, pulling away for a 112-97 win at Wells Fargo Center and a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final.
The adage, though, remains: the series hasn't really started until the home team loses a game.
However, the way this is going, that moment of truth doesn't appear far off. Give the Sixers credit. They are rolling. It's not just Joel Embiid driving this train, although the attention he draws certainly makes it easier for all of his teammates.
They are getting contributions from James Harden and Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey and too many Sixers to name here. But the Raptors' error that opened the floodgates is one they can't let happen again if they are to get back into this series.
With Embiid on the bench to start the second quarter and the Raptors having fought hard to earn a one-point lead after a quarter, there was a letdown on Toronto's end.
Embiid had been a problem all through the first quarter as the Raptors sent him to the line, continually trying to get the big man under control. He finished the night with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
It's no secret that the Raptors have no one near Embiid's size. They threw multiple bodies at him from all kinds of angles and the big man took the beating and went to the line 12 times in the quarter, making 11 free throws and finishing with 19 points in the first 12 minutes.
Then he sat down. And it was here where the Raptors erred.
When Embiid is not on the court, the Raptors need to make hay. They need to get theirs. Particularly with no Scottie Barnes to keep the offence getting some consistent scores, this is a team that needs to take advantage of every opportunity handed to them.
Instead, with Paul Reed in for Embiid, the Sixers turned a onepoint deficit into an 11-point lead by the time he returned midway through the quarter.
It was a missed opportunity and the Raptors never recovered as the Sixers pounded away for the remainder of the evening.
Fred VanVleet responded to his own self challenge to contain Maxey while still leading the team in scoring.
Maxey, who went off for a personal playoff high 38 points in Game 2, didn't get a lot of breathing room with VanVleet laser-focused on him.
The Raptors waited right up until a half-hour before game time before announcing Gary Trent Jr. would give it a go again, despite not looking real healthy as he took part in the pre-game warm-ups.
Trent Jr. wound up playing just 10 rather uneventful minutes unless you're counting fouls, and there he picked up four.
Credit the Raptors' young guard for making the effort, but it was clear his illness had sapped plenty of strength when his one and only three-point shot fell woefully short of the basket.
Trent Jr. called it a night just after the midway point of the third quarter with a stat line that read one rebound, 0-for-3 shooting and those four fouls.
Chris Boucher, another Raptor who had a tough Game 1, bounced back as promised with a better effort. Boucher was beating himself up for being a step slow all of Game 1 and he remedied that playing his solid all-around game in Game 2 with 17 points off the bench, eight rebounds and the energy he normally brings to the game.
OG Anunoby stepped up, too, in the absence of Barnes and had a Raptors' game-high 26 points while drawing most of the toughest defensive assignments all night.
Barnes' absence was noticeable. Offence, other than those 31 first-quarter points and a push early in the fourth, was a struggle.
Again, give the Sixers their props but with Barnes, the lulls like that one in the second quarter just don't happen.
Game 3 goes Wednesday, when the series shifts to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.