Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Philadelphia 76ers played down to their shorthanded opponent but were still able to pull out a victory that should have never been as close as the final box score said it was. Last night was no different, as the Sixers beat the Raptors in Toronto 114-109.

After taking a large lead early in the fourth quarter, the Sixers allowed the Raptors to go on a huge run at the end of the game to make this a much closer game than it actually was. Joel Embiid dominated yet again, and was huge in the final minutes scoring the go-ahead bucket paired with an incredible defensive stop to secure the win for the Sixers.

Although it wasn’t pretty, this was the first set of back-to-back wins for Philly in nearly three weeks.

Joel Embiid

What’s new? Joel Embiid leads all scorers with 36 points, and was the main source of offense for Philadelphia throughout this game. Embiid took advantage of Toronto’s lack of size by getting to the line 14 times and making 12 of those attempts. He was impressively efficient, 11/16 from the field and 2/3 from the floor.

The Raptors allowed Embiid to get deep post looks which meant Embiid rarely settled for jump shots and instead, dominate the paint. Embiid still mentioned that he isn’t 100%, but he’s scored 72 points over the last two games which is a scary sight for opponents.

JOEL EMBIID LAST 5 GAMES:

• 36 PTS – 11 REB – 4 AST
• 36 PTS – 13 REB – 2 BLK
• 23 PTS – 10 REB – 2 BLK
• 41 PTS – 10 REB – 5 BLK
• 32 PTS – 9 REB – 6 AST

Tobias Harris

To talk about the good stuff from Harris, this was his first career triple double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and a career high 10 assists. Similar to Embiid, he took advantage of Toronto’s lack of size by getting to the line, going 13/14 from the stripe.

With the lack of facilitation in this lineup, Harris has stepped up as a passer in recent games. On the flip side, Harris was inefficient from the field (3/12) and still passes up too many open three point shots. Also, as a guy that’s advertised as a leader he constantly complains about officiating and honestly allows it to take him out of the games at times. Not to take too much away from Harris after a notable night.

Georges Niang

In just his second game back from COVID, Niang was a major player in this win, drilling 5/8 shots from beyond the arc and scoring 19 points. Niang gives the Sixers necessary floor spacing along with quality defense and quick decision making.

Niang really fits this roster perfectly, and even while playing slightly out of position and asked to do more he gives them a much needed boost. Niang brings a palpable energy on both sides of the ball, and when he adds this much scoring he makes the game much easier for the guys around him.

Tyrese Maxey

Not much to say about Tyrese Maxey last night. I’ll let him and Joel Embiid summarize his night.

Vegas Strikes Again

How on Earth does Vegas do it? The line last night was Sixers -6 and of course, the Sixers only managed to win by five points, crushing a ton of Sixers betters here at The Liberty Line.

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No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn

The Sixers are two games through their three game road trip before the end of the calendar year and fortunately have secured wins in both of those games. Before they get back to the Wells Fargo Center on January 3rd, they make a stop in Brooklyn on Thursday to take on the Nets who are getting back to full strength. Should be interesting to say the very least.

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images