The Toronto Raptors took down the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 96-76. This marks 4 in a row for a Raptors team that is 16-9, and half a game back from the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the scoreline looked comfortable, the Sixers got it to within 6 points in the fourth quarter. The bench unit couldn’t hold it down, and forced Dwane Casey‘s hand. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry both logged a lot of minutes, and with another game tomorrow night, you don’t want your stars playing 34 minutes.
Let’s get to the report card:
Offense: B+
The Raps shot 41% from the field. DeRozan led the way once again with 25, but shot 6-14. He did shoot 13-14 from line. Luis Scola had a great game, scoring a crafty 22 on 10-14 shooting from the field. Lowry was the only other Raptor in double digits, scoring 16.
Defense: A
76 points allowed is a solid indicator of some good defense. An asterisk must be used because they were up against the league’s worst. Jahil Okafor looks like he’s going to be a good player. Aside from that, the Sixers are an embarrassment.
Rebounding: D
Raps got outrebounded 52-41. Okafor was a monster on the glass, grabbing 14. The Raps were playing down to the competition, unmotivated, and sloppy on the glass. There has to be a better effort on the glass tomorrow.
Game Ball: Luis Scola
What a crafty player. He provided 22 points and 5 boards in 27 minutes of action. Scola has been a fantastic acquisition by Masai – his calming veteran presence has absolutely been a huge benefit.
