 | Philadelphia | 86 | Final Box Score | 102 | Toronto |  |
 A+ | S. Ibaka25 MIN, 17 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 6-10 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 4 +/- Ibaka has been playing like a man possessed this month. Today, the narrative didn’t change. He looked dominant in spurts and provided constant energy and game-changing plays. This is the Ibaka the Raptors wanted, needed and are getting. | |
 B- | O. Anunoby21 MIN, 0 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 1 +/- OG didn’t do anything of significance in this one, and didn’t really have to. If we’re going to nitpick with Ogugua, he’s had 5 turnovers in his last 42 minutes. Not the norm for one of the league’s most intelligent rookies. | |
 A- | J. Valanciunas24 MIN, 12 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 4-7 FG, 0-0 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 0 +/- JV did a terrific job being physical with Embiid, making life tough on the star center. This has become customary with Valanciunas as he’s truly blossomed into one of the best deep-post defenders in the NBA. His ability to challenge shots (not necessarily block them), coupled with his exceptional strength and growing IQ have made him what he is today. | |
 B | K. Lowry30 MIN, 12 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 3-7 FG, 1-5 3FG, 5-5 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 0 +/- Lowry didn’t contribute in the scoring column as much as he’d like, but he also didn’t force the issue. He understands he has the help to win these type of games. This is something he’s learned in this new ball movement-friendly scheme. | |
 A+ | D. DeRozan35 MIN, 29 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 9-20 FG, 4-7 3FG, 7-8 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 16 +/- DeMar paced the team in scoring and was the primary reason the Raptors pulled away late in the game. Coming off a game where he hit 6 threes, Deebo hit four more in this one. This is the most confident he’s looked beyond the arc in his career. | |
 A- | D. Wright25 MIN, 14 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL, 6-12 FG, 1-2 3FG, 1-1 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 13 +/- Delon attacked the rim aggressively all game and was the main source of scoring for the bench unit. He was a +13, and overall played an impactful bunch of minutes. | |
 A | J. Poeltl24 MIN, 6 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-3 FT, 3 BLK, 0 TO, 16 +/- Like Valanciunas, Poeltl made life a living hell for ‘Troll-el’ Embiid. Traditionally, Yak struggles with bigger, more physical centers. That wasn’t the case tonight. He had three blocks and two steals, pointing to his defensive disruption throughout the game. | |
 A- | P. Siakam23 MIN, 4 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 2-8 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 14 +/- Energy, energy, energy. Siakam filled the box score up and was a total nuisance for the 76ers’ bigs in the 4th quarter. The kid just never quits. Yet another game with a favorable plus/minus. | |
 B- | F. VanVleet19 MIN, 0 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-5 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 16 +/- Not Drak- I mean, Van Vleet’s best performance. He didn’t make a single shot and was blocked twice on just five FG attempts. He did have a very good plus/minus, which helped. | |
 B | N. Powell13 MIN, 8 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 3-8 FG, 2-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Powell was having a “meh” game until Casey brought in with the closing unit in the 4th quarter. The ACC erupted when Norm nearly took the rim off with a thunderous tomahawk dunk. Toronto is 16-3 since moving NP to the bench, where he’s evidently been more confident. | |
 Inc | M. Miller3 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Malcolm came in for spot duty with just a couple minutes remaining in the game. He just didn’t have enough time to make an impact. | |
 A+ | Dwane Casey A crucial win for Casey and his staff as it was imperative that the team continue their momentum approaching a quick, two-day holiday break. With 6 minutes remaining in the 4th, a livid Casey called timeout. He chewed into his team, to which they responded by increasing the lead to 16 and not looking back. Casey’s been incredible all season long. | |
Things We Saw
- The Raptors are 12-1 at home, holding the league’s best home record. The Air Canada Centre is becoming a real fortress for the Raptors to play in. They play with a contagious energy and constantly feed off the crowd’s liveliness. Toronto’s six-game run is the 2nd longest streak in the NBA, after the Warriors.
- You can keep your Christmas, NBA. Earlier in the week, DeMar DeRozan laid out his dismay for the league’s persistent exclusion of the Raptors during primetime Christmas NBA games. Being one of the top 5-6 teams in the NBA for the last 3-4 seasons should give the league enough reason to at least consider Toronto in the festivities. Yes it’s not a huge deal, but it speaks to a larger disregard by the national media that indirectly affects league decisions. Fact of the matter is, the Raptors are winning and could really care less.
- Toronto has a two day break on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, until they take on the Western Conference-worst Dallas Mavericks in Texas. Toronto and Dallas are at total opposite ends of the spectrum, with the Mavs being one of the clear favourites for the 1st overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft. Toronto has more away wins (10) on the season than Dallas has overall wins (9).
- DeRozan has hit 13 three balls in his last three games. That puts him at a remarkable 13 for 20 from beyond the arc. I mean, if we’re going to see this even semi-regularly from DeRozan, there’s no reason he can’t be on par with the likes of the most dominant forces in the league. He was already one of the NBA’s best offensive talents without a 3PT shot.
