Sixers get Dominated by Toronto in First Preseason Game
The 76ers traveled across the border Monday night to Toronto for the first time in almost two years to face the Raptors in their first preseason game. The Raptors got the better of the Sixers, 123-107.
The first four quarters of the 2021 preseason did not go according to plan, but the good news is: It's just preseason. Although with the defeat, there were a some of positives to take away from the game.
Philly put together a nice run in the 1st quarter, but it was all Raptors after that. Toronto brought more energy, out-working and out-hustling the Sixers on every possession. The Raptors being able to play in front of their home crowd was definitely a factor, but you do have to put blame on the Sixers for looking lifeless mid-way through the contest.
On a positive note, Andre Drummond took the game by storm, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the opening 13 minutes. I know it is only preseason, but we can confidently say he is an upgrade from Dwight Howard. Drummond ended the game with 19 points, 14 rebounds, four blocked shots, and shot 67% from the floor. Drummond was also 7/8 from the foul line.
Another bright spot was the outside shooting of Isaiah Joe. His off-ball movement has taken a great leap, resulting in him having higher percentage looks from behind the arc. Joe shot 4/8 from three and made all four of his free throw attempts. He ended the game with 18 points.
Tyrese Maxey was on the court for 20 minutes, but had a cold shooting night. The newly named starting PG was just 5/11 from the field and 0/2 from deep. Maxey also had four turnovers on the night. With this just being the first preseason game, I am not concerned by his performance at all. When he was on the court he still had the spark of energy he possessed last season and in the Summer League.
In the limited minutes he played, Seth Curry was excellent. It seemed he had picked up where he left off in the Atlanta series. Him and Drummond did a good job working the dribble hand off and Seth was money from the midrange. Curry tallied 14 total points, shooting 55% from the floor.
Paul Reed was dominating the glass, but was lackluster on the offensive end. He grabbed 10 rebounds (4 offensive), but managed to only make two of his seven shot attempts.
Furkan Korkmaz, on his new contract, shot poorly. Missing 10 shots on the night, including bricking seven three-pointers. He ended the game with 13 points, shooting 33% from the field.
New Sixer, Georges Niang, did not have an eye-popping performance by any means. He looked a step slow and missed both of his three point attempts.
Sixers Rookie, Jaden Springer, scored four points and notched two assists in his limited minutes.
For Toronto, OG Anunoby led the team in scoring with 21 points in 25 minutes. He was money from behind the arc, making all three of his attempts.
Scottie Barnes, fresh off being a lottery pick in this years draft, set the tone for the Raptors. He filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Barnes also had a game-high plus/minus of +19.
Justin Champagnie shined in his first game with the Raptors. He had 17 points on 12 shots and was setting the tempo for Toronto on the fast break. He was cleaning the glass as well, notching 10 boards to his name.
Precious Achiuwa, Goran Dragic, and Svi Mykhailuk were all impressive in their Raptor debuts.
As expected, both teams had their stars inactive. Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr did not play for Toronto. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris were both inactive for Philadelphia.
These two teams will face off again Thursday at 7pm, this time at the Wells Fargo Center. This will be a great opportunity for the Sixers to right their wrongs against a team that just breezed past them.
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