In 2015, the Raptors have a losing record (13-14). What better way to get back up to .500 this year than a trip over to Philly?
Yeah, the opening paragraph is in no way intended to comfort you. Actually, it’s probably worse than you initially thought.
CANT WAIT TO SPEND JUNE IN BOSTON FOR FINALS RT @SeanGrandePBP: Wondering what the East looks like over last month? pic.twitter.com/e7D3qIQMfl
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 1, 2015
Thankfully (for the sake of being well-seeded), the Raptors blitzed through the initial part of the season and then started off the ‘8-games from hell‘ with a 4-0 record. With that cushion and an Atlantic Division clinch, it really doesn’t matter that the Cavs – who are all of a sudden looking like contenders – are just one game back of the Raptors. Really, the Raptors will live with being interchangeable between 1st and 4th. What matters most is fixing their current issues in time for the post-season.
Those problems, in large part, have been discussed to death. Blake’s got you covered.
The Raptors are in Philly tonight for another game in the Eastern Conference’s abyss.
What you need to know about the 76ers..
Beleive it or not, the 76ers are currently better than the Knicks, and more likeable to. They are basically a collection of Jason Richardson and young (and partly injured) talented players. They are also absolutely littered with future draft picks and have zero aspirations for the 2014-2015 season apart from player development.
After acquiring Javale McGee along with a 2015 first-round pick before the trade deadline, the 76ers waived McGee last night.
As a whole, the 76ers can be unpredictable, because regardless of how bad they are, they give it their all every night. After blowing out the Wizards by 18 points on Friday, they went to Indiana last night and were blown-out by 20, losing leading scorer Robert Covington in the process due to an elbow injury.
Yes, at a whopping 13.2 ppg, Covington leads the 76ers in scoring. Of course, this has a lot to do with the departure of Michael Carter-Williams who is averaging 14.6 ppg.
Covington scored a team-high 18 points in Philadelphia’s last meeting against the Raptors in January. Nerlens Noel – a potential future cornerstone for the franchise – had a career-high 14 rebounds.
Matchups
Frontcourt: Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas vs Nerlens Noel, Henry Sims. Edge: Raptors.
I use the term ‘edge’ loosely. It should really read ‘eclipse’. Noel is a great prospect but he’s still raw and Amir Johnson should get the better of him. Ditto Valanciunas vs. Sims.
Backcourt: Kyle Lowry, Greivis Vasquez, DeMar DeRozan vs Isaiah Canaan, Jason Richardson, Robert Covington. Edge: Raptors.
Still no word (at the time this was written) on Lowry and Covington’s status for tonight. Regardless, the Raptors are vastly superior in this department. DeMar is notorious for his shot selection this season, but against the 76ers, he shoots a solid 52% on the year. Jason Richardson has torched the Raptors in the past, but he’s on the very tail end of his career now. Shut him down. No excuses.
The edge off the bench goes to the Raptors as well. Although Philly has a solid second unit (10th in the league in scoring), they face injury concerns. Tony Wroten is out for a while, and the loss of MCW and McGee makes their squad pretty thin.
Tip-off is at 7 pm EST.
