The injured Toronto Raptors concluded a four-game homestand with a win against the also-injured Philadelphia 76ers, winning 118-105.
The win marked the Raptors’ third in their last four games and fifth in their last six games. This all happened with a total of 19 players in for this matchup, and 17 out Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena. The 17 inactive players combined to make $268 million this season, 77 percent of the combined teams’ payrolls.
The Raps would only have nine guys available, rolling out a starting lineup of Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle, Jared Rhoden, Colin Casleton, and Jakob Poeltl, marking the 27th used starting lineup for Toronoto this season (8th most in the league). The four players outside of the latter have only combined for 170 games in total, with the 7-foot Austrian himself more than tripling that with his 587 games played.
Nonetheless, there was a basketball game to be played and it started all Philadelphia. Jared Butler, Quentin Grimes, and Justin Edwards all drained shots early, helping the 76ers take an early 8-2 lead. The rest of the quarter would be all Toronto, however, outscoring their opponent 27-15 from then on. It was largely thanks to the teams’ 3-point shooting, ending the frame 4-of-5 from downtown after starting the quarter 0-for-6. Jared Rhoden played a big part in the Dinos leading 29-23 after one, finishing the quarter with six rebounds, five points, and one steal.
While one two-way ended the first quarter strong, another two-way started the second stronger, with A.J. Lawson scoring all over the place. Coming off a career-high 32 points last contest against the Washington Wizards, the Brampton, Ontario native scored quick six points, leading a 14-8 run to start the frame, 43-31. Then it would be Rhoden’s turn to turn up, draining multiple three’s and helping Toronto out to a 57-35 lead, extending the run in the quarter to 28-12. The Raps would continue to play well the rest of the way, especially from beyond the arc. They would end the half 12-for-23 from the 3-point line and would lead 69-55 at the break.
Rhoden was fantastic.
The 25-year-old showed off his well-rounded game, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists while going 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from distance in the first half. His physicality shined through both on the boards and defensively, as he offers pluses in those areas at his natural two-position. Offensively, played on and off the ball, hitting catch and shoot jumpers just as easy as he got to the rim off the dribble.
The third quarter would see Lawson start in place of Jamal Shead — who would not play in the entire third quarter — with the frame being owned by Philadelphia. The Sixers would ultimately outscore Canada’s team 31-20 in the third, shooting 50 percent from the field along the way. The road squad ended the quarter on a 20-8 run to bring the game within three, 89-86, heading into the fourth.
The final quarter was back-and-forth. After Toronto started the quarter on a 12-2 run, they held their lead the rest of the way, cruising to the win behind strong games from Lawson, Rhoden, and Orlando Robinson.
The Raptors are now 23-43, 11th in the Eastern Conference and seventh-worst in the association. They will now hit the road for a four-game stretch, making stops in Portland, Phoenix, and Golden State. The party gets started on Friday, however, as Toronto will travel to Utah to kick things off against the Jazz.
