The 76ers looked very bad through 3 quarters tonight but were able to pull out a gutty win against the Raptors, 100-93. While it wasn’t pretty, the Embiid led Sixers found their stride in the 4th quarter, and Philadelphia moves to 3-1 on the season.

Polar Opposite Shooting Nights

A game-long struggle for the Sixers saw them shoot 38.1% from the floor, and 25.8% from 3 in tonight’s win. Luckily, the team saved themselves at the free throw line where they picked up 28 points and shot 84.8% from the stripe. On the other hand, the Raptors shot the lights out from 3, making 17 total at a 37.8% rate. Luckily, the Sixers were able to drill a few clutch deep balls, courtesy of Danny Green and Seth Curry.

Stars Take the Lead

After a scary moment where Joel Embiid took a scary fall to hardwood, the Big Fella made a miraculous recovery and was one of the main reasons for tonight’s win. Joel finished the night with 29 points in large part due to his 16 free throw attempts (making 14), and also tacked on 16 rebounds. Another impressive night for Embiid, proving on a nightly basis that he is a legitimate superstar in this league. 

Tobias Harris quieted a lot of haters tonight with 26 points on 11-20 shooting, 11 rebounds, and also shot 2-5 from 3 in this game. As a guy who has been heavily scrutinized over the last few games, this was an incredible performance. Harris looked confident, comfortable, decisive, and his shot making ability proved vital in the late minutes of the game.

Simmons stuffed the stat sheet again against the Raptors, 11/10/7 and added both a steal and a block. Nothing necessarily stood out with Ben tonight, but his stifling defense, pace pushing, and impressive rebounding was a huge factor in tonight’s win.

Looking Ahead

Philadelphia has a day off tomorrow and play Orlando on New Year’s Eve at 6:30. As they start to get in the rhythm of the season, I look to the starting 5 to continue to gel and perform at a higher level.

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and added 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Both Annunoby and Siakim scored 20 points.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY