Gameday: Raptors @ 76ers, November 19

After taking down the Charlotte Hornets in a wildly entertaining game on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Toronto Raptors now hit the road to take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

Monday’s victory marked the eighth victory in the last nine games for Toronto, with that one loss coming to these same 76ers 11 days ago.

In that one, Jakob Poeltl was absent, while Joel Embiid and Trendon Watford led the way for the 76ers, helping Philadelphia outscore Toronto 64-38 in the paint en route to their 10-point win.

The Raptors are yet to lose since then, as they’ll seek their revenge for their fifth win in a row. And for tonight’s matchup, Poeltl is back, and Embiid is doubtful to play, so this will be a different game.

Raptors Outlook

Record: 9-5 | 3rd in Eastern Conference
Offensive Rating: 117.4 (8th) | Defensive Rating: 112.7 (10th) | Net Rating: +4.7 (10th)

With Poeltl back, Philly will get to see Toronto’s starting lineup, which has been defending better as of late. The group of the 30-year-old Austrian, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett have a -0.3 NET rating together in 134 minutes. It’s not fantastic by any means, but their defensive rating has improved greatly to bring the group basically even in their minutes.

The defence was on full display in the final minute of Monday’s close win over the Hornets, where Ingram and Barnes both had huge blocks to save the day.

The defence will be tested in this one, however, as Philadelphia’s offence has been just as effective and nearly as fast as Toronto’s.

It will also be interesting to see if the transitional/bench units continue to cook. Really, any combination of Jamal Shead, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Gradey Dick, and Collin Murray-Boyles has won their minutes, as Darko Rajakovic has figured out his rotations. All four of those guys have slotted in nicely in transitional lineups with select starters, as Toronto is clearly building synergy on both ends of the floor.

76ers Outlook

Record: 8-5 |67th in Eastern Conference
Offensive Rating: 117.8 (7th) | Defensive Rating: 115.1 (18th) | Net Rating: 2.7 (13th)

With Embiid doubtful and Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Adem Bona ruled out, it will be the Tyrese Maxey show as it has all year.

Only Luka Doncic is averaging more points (34.4) than Maxey’s 32.5 per game in the NBA, to go along with 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on nearly 50/40/90 shooting splits.

In the previous meeting, the 25-year-old finished with a game-high 31 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and three stocks, as he broke through Toronto’s point of attack defence all night.

His running mate in the backcourt is third overall pick V.J. Edgecombe, as the pair have pushed the pace all season. The rookie is averaging 15.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals, and has the potential to pop off any given night.

And you can’t forget about Watford, who put up a triple-double to the ridiculous tune of 20 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists last time the pair of teams squared off. With multiple bigs out for Philly in this one, Watford will certainly get the opportunity to have another good day.