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3 observations after the Sixers fell to 0-2 with the loss in Toronto originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
A trip to Toronto and a matchup against a Raptors team that went 25-57 last year didn’t put the Sixers in the win column.
They lost their first road game of the season and fell to 0-2 overall on Friday night, falling to a 115-107 loss to the Raptors.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes recorded 27 points and was 8 of 11 from the field. Jakob Poeltl added 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a team-high 28 points for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey scored 24, but had a second consecutive poor shooting game, going 6 of 23 from the field and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc.
The Sixers star Joel Embiid (management of left knee injuries) and paul george (bruise on left knee bone) remained outside. Five Raptors were sidelined with injuries, including RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
The Sixers will face the Pacers on Sunday afternoon in Indiana. Here are observations on their loss to Toronto:
Changing the starters
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse made two changes to his opening night starting five. He inserted Raptors legend Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin, moving Eric Gordon and KJ Martin to the second unit. Maxey, Oubre and Andre Drummond continued to start.
Lowry, a playoff starter last year, clearly feels comfortable playing alongside Maxey. At 38 years old, he’s still capable of handling the ball, taking 3-pointers, setting effective screens and doing just about anything Nurse plans.
Caleb Martin, after playing 37 minutes off the bench in his Sixers debut, had 34 on Friday night. Both Caleb Martin and KJ Martin spent time defending Raptors forward Barnes.
The Sixers’ defense was far from exemplary early, but Maxey matched much of Toronto’s scoring with a 13-point, five-assist first quarter. Maxey made more free throws in the first quarter than he did in Wednesday’s entire game against the Bucks, making (and making) five free throws.
Nasty problems everywhere you look
The Sixers didn’t even come close to following Plan A in downtown Toronto.
Drummond gave up a layup and one to Poeltl with 8:51 left in the first quarter. He committed his second foul on the play, which led to Guerschon Yabusele’s tackle.
Offensively, Yabusele was immediately productive. He threw down a pick-and-roll dunk with Maxey and his screens helped free up the 23-year-old guard for consecutive 3-pointers. The second came with a well-executed double braking.
Just like in the first game, it quickly became apparent that Yabusele is not used to protecting the rim as a center. Raptors second-year wing Gradey Dick came right at him in the first quarter, drawing the Frenchman’s second foul and scoring an and-one.
In two games, Drummond and Yabusele have totaled 20 fouls. Caleb Martin and Lowry also got into foul trouble on Friday.
The nurse used KJ Martin in the center for a few minutes before turning to Adem Bona. The rookie fouled Barnes after about 25 seconds on the court.
Twelve Sixers took the court at the 9:38 mark of the second quarter, including Reggie Jackson and Jared McCain. Nurse tried a little of everything in a second half full of fouls and did not find great answers. The Sixers’ half-court offense was a slog, relying heavily on Maxey and offensive rebounding.
Nothing to do for Maxey
Life didn’t suddenly become quiet for the Sixers as the third quarter began.
Caleb Martin couldn’t handle Maxey’s pass to the corner and the ball went out of bounds. Drummond was whistled for a moving screen. The Raptors staunchly defended Maxey as a team and held him without a field goal in the third quarter.
The Sixers still managed to hold on, in part because Toronto committed turnovers throughout the game. Drummond had four steals in his 22 minutes. Oubre stepped in to take the lead and draw Davion Mitchell’s fourth foul early in the third period. The left-handed wing also provided several timely offensive plays in the third, connecting with Drummond on an alley-oop and scoring a pair of self-created baskets.
Although the Sixers cut their deficit to two points late in the third quarter, Toronto rallied early in the fourth.
Undrafted rookie Jamison Battle hit a pair of 3-pointers and converted an and-one shot that gave the Raptors a 98-79 lead. Toronto was the livelier team for most of the game and the Sixers failed to generate any serious runs. The Raptors showed their youth at times in the final minutes, fighting off the Sixers’ full-court press and zone defenses, but a last-minute comeback wasn’t in the cards.
Most of Maxey’s jumpers fell short and he even took one. In two games, he is 16 of 54 (29.2 percent) from the field.