Gameday: Raptors @ 76ers, February 11

The Toronto Raptors roll into the rollicking city of Philadelphia on Tuesday to take on the 76ers in the final instalment of a three-game road trip.

Both teams have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries this season. While the Sixers are currently in the midst of a rare stretch of health – relative to the rest of their injury marred campaign that is – the Raptors are back in triage mode.

Both Gradey Dick and Jonathan Mogbo faced injury scares during the Raptors’ Sunday game against the Rockets. Dick went down hard while attacking the rim, hit his head, and didn’t return. Mogbo appeared to injure his ankle but kept playing for the remainder of the contest. Both players are listed as probable on the NBA injury report. Rookie big man Ulrich Chomche is also notably available along with fellow two-way Orlando Robinson.

The Raptors’ striking trade deadline acquisition, Brandon Ingram, also remains out with an ankle sprain that has sidelined him since early December. While the isolation wizard’s offensive game will benefit Toronto, and specifically Barnes, we will have to wait a little longer to see exactly how that looks. RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl also remain out for this one.

Raptors Outlook: 16-37 | 13th in Eastern Conference | Off rating: 110.1 (24th) | Def rating: 115.8 (26th) | Net rating: -5.7 (26th)

Raptors Previous Results

@ Houston L 94-87

@ Oklahoma City L 121-109

vs Memphis L 138-107

vs New York L 121-115

vs Los Angeles (Clippers) W 115-108

Joel Embiid is questionable, as he often has been this season, which is always a huge swing factor for the Sixers. However it is even more relevant in this game, as the Raptors will be without Poeltl. If Embiid does play, expect the Raptors to be very aggressive with their defensive schemes in an attempt to contain him. In their last game against the Rockets, Toronto effectively double-teamed Alperen Sengun during the first 3 1/2 minutes of the game, holding Houston scoreless before the Turkish centre left the game with back spasms.

The Sixers also allow their opponents to shoot a ton of 3s from all over the floor, ranking 23rd in opponent corner three-point frequency, 24th in non-corner frequency and 27th overall. Perfect time for Immanuel Quickley to let it fly.

76ers Outlook: 20-32 | 11th in Eastern Conference | Off rating: 111.5 (20th) | Def rating: 115.4 (24th) | Net rating: -3.9 (22nd)

76ers Previous Results

@ Milwaukee L 135-127

@ Pistons L 125-112

vs Miami L 108-101

vs Dallas W 118-116

vs Boston L 118-110

Similar to the Raptors, the 76ers have a fairly modern shot diet consisting mostly of 3s and attempts at the rim. One exception is that the vast majority of their 3-point volume comes from above the break rather than the corners.

We are all too familiar with the Nick Nurseian emphasis on winning the possession game. This has of course carried over to his tenure in Philadelphia, as the Sixers rank ninth in turnover percentage and third in opponent turnover percentage.

The Raptors have frequently struggled with turnovers this season and rank 23rd in the league in turnover percentage. They also turned over the ball 27 times last time they played the Sixers in October. They will need to take better care of the ball than usual in order to win this game.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. ET

Television: TSN

Radio: Sportsnet 590 The Fan