Quick Reaction: 76ers 105, Raptors 118

76ers

105

118

Raptors

A+	J. Rhoden43 MIN, 25 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST, 4 STL, 9-19 FG, 4-10 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 14 +/- Good energy at the very start of the game on the offensive glass. Came away with six rebounds at the end of the first quarter. All around great game and he surprisingly flashed some solid playmaking tonight. This game should do enough to secure Rhoden a spot on next year’s roster after a solid stretch of basketball.
B	C. Castleton40 MIN, 7 PTS, 14 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-1 FT, 3 BLK, 2 TO, 14 +/- First career start for Castleton. Good rim protection in the second half and his glasswork was pretty consistent all night long. Anyone notice how Castleton lines up on offensive free throws? Maybe this was his first time trying it as I only noticed it tonight. Anyways, he faces the rim with a wide receiver-like stance and avoids the standard way of where players are facing the sideline.

A-	J. Poeltl17 MIN, 9 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 4-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-1 FT, 2 BLK, 4 TO, 8 +/- Quick return after a one game “injury.” Yak had a rough start to the game with a turnover and blocked shot. He started trending up midway through the opening quarter and played stellar defence but got limited run due to “tank management.”

D+	J. Battle38 MIN, 11 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 4-15 FG, 3-12 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 0 +/- First career start just like Castleton. Battle had the green light all night long as he was letting the three fly, but unfortunately tonight was not his night and it was a wasted opportunity. Luckily for the rookie shooter, he’s already cashed in a multi-year extension.
B	J. Shead12 MIN, 5 PTS, 0 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 2-6 FG, 1-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 17 +/- Shead started the night with risky passes at the very start of the game. Somehow he only had one turnover but outside of that he was having a solid showing and then he was benched to start the second half.

A-	A. Lawson36 MIN, 28 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 10-20 FG, 4-9 3FG, 4-6 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 1 +/- Lawson had a slow start. He picked it up in the second quarter and never looked back. When Shead was benched in the second half (tank management), A.J. served as the point guard to start the third quarter. This is now back to back humongous offensive showings for the hometown hero.
A+	O. Robinson32 MIN, 25 PTS, 12 REB, 6 AST, 0 STL, 9-19 FG, 2-3 3FG, 5-6 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2 +/- Good start after missing a bunny as he responded with a quick five points to make up for it. Aggressive all night long as there were shots available tonight due to BBQ being ruled out. Offensive rebounding came alive in the second half and he had a nice showcase of his three ball tonight. Also congratulations to Robinson on his new career high for points.

A+	G. Temple22 MIN, 8 PTS, 2 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 3-7 FG, 2-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 9 +/- Second straight game of minutes after bench warming all season long. He hit a beautiful baseline fader for his first two points. He took a big part of the ball handling duties out there due to Toronto not having a true backup point guard. Not as many minutes and impact in the second half, but he proved his point in the first half.

F	Darko Rajakovic Full tank mode as the Sixers are only somehow half a game ahead of Toronto so BBQ was ruled out for tonight. How about a starting lineup of Shead, Battle, Rhoden, Castleton and Yak. Darko tried to tank this one as he held out Jamal Shead for the entire second half but that wasn’t enough as the Raptors youngins had other plans. F for trying to throw the game and coming up short.

What’s new on RR

After a hiatus, Confederacy of Dunks returns with yet another episode that includes trivia.

This week Curly from the Live by the Three podcast and Comedian Ned Petrie try their NBA trivia knowledge with a heavily free throw-themed show. How do these guys do on the stripe? Are they Steph Curry or a bunch of Shaqs? Listen or watch to find out!