The Toronto Raptors have now lost 6 games in a row after a loss at Philly last night. The Raptors are currently sitting at 10th seed with the Chicago Bulls right behind them.
Now is one of the worst times to be going on a 6 game-losing streak. The Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers all have a winning streak of 4 or more games. The positive is that a winning streak of 4+ games of our own would get us back into playoff contention. Not all hope is lost yet.
Coming into last night’s game, the Raptors were on the second night of a back-to-back after getting blown out by the Warriors on Sunday night. The Raptors would put up a good comeback effort but fell short against the 76ers in overtime.
The Process
Joel Embiid came into this game scoring 30+ points in 7 out of his last 8 games. The Raptors limited him to scoring 6 field goals on 16 attempts (37.5%) however the defense had trouble containing him as he went to the free-throw line 15 times.
It’s hard to guard a big man who’s taking stepbacks threes like Embiid. There’s very little Khem Birch could’ve done to stop Embiid from this play. Embiid led the team in scoring with 28 points and had 11 rebounds to make it a double-double.
Tobias Harris coming in clutch
Tobias Harris has been averaging 20 points in his last 5 games, shooting above an efficient 50%+. Near the end of the 4th, he hit a clutch three and hit another three back to back with an and-one. However, it got overcalled due to an offensive foul by P.J. Tucker.
With this shot, Tobias Harris won the game for the Sixers in overtime as no one would score after this shot. He ended his night with 21 points, going 5-7 from three.
Pascal Siakam Masterclass
The Raptors may have lost but Siakam had one of his best games of the season last night.
Siakam torched the Sixers defense. Whether it was Embiid or Tucker or Harrell guarding him, he’d drive in the paint, hit a midrange shot, and make a three. There were only 3 players in double-digits in points for the Raptors and he was the only one who scored more than 13+ points.
Unreal clutch play by Siakam driving past Tucker and making a tough layup off the board. Right after this, he guarded Embiid who attempted the game-winning shot but missed sending it to OT.
He missed the game-tying three at the end of OT but that’s fine. Without Siakam, this is easily another blowout loss. Siakam ended his night with 38 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists.
As this is the second night of a back-to-back, Siakam scored 27 points the night before against the Warriors. This team may be struggling, however, Siakam’s performance as of late is one of the few bright spots on the team.
Raptors continue to struggle from three
The Raptors lose another game due to struggling to make shots from three. The Raptors as a team shot 11-40 but Fred VanVleet himself had a tough night, only making 2 threes on 11 attempts.
VanVleet missed 2 threes in overtime which could’ve possibly won us the game. As of late, VanVleet has not been shooting the ball from three efficiently. Even with his back-to-back 39-game performances, he shot the ball from three once efficiently.
All we can do is hope VanVleet gets back into his stride and that Gary Trent Jr and Otto Porter Jr will make their return soon.
Next game: The Raptors will head to New York to play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night.
