7:30 PM EST – Line: 76ers -1.5, Over/Under: 220.0
With the playoffs rapidly approaching, there is still much to be decided in the East, where the top half of the standings remains in flux, as the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors meet tonight in a matchup that is bound to influence the final bracket, from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. The National Basketball Association is rarely light on drama, and few teams embodied that more so than the 76ers (49-30, 4th in Eastern Conference), who have been nothing short of a fascinating study throughout the campaign. Coming into this season, Philadelphia was locked into a standoff with (All-Star Guard) Ben Simmons, who following a brutal performance in last summer’s postseason, demanded to be traded and effectively refused to play for the team until his wish was granted. And so began one of the longest-running sagas in the NBA, with the mercurial talent willingly sitting out the first FIFTY-FIVE games of the schedule (and forfeiting nearly $20 million in the process), as the Sixers did everything in their power to save face as the pressure to deal him away continued to mount, all the while attempting to maintain their standing among the elite teams in a revitalized East. Finally, minutes before the expiration of the Trade Deadline, (President of Basketball Operations) Daryl Morey pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal sending Simmons (along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and Draft compensation) to the Nets in exchange for (2017-2018 MVP) James Harden (21.4 PTS, 40.7% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 88.5% FT, 7.4 REB, 10.1 AST, 1.4 STL, 22.5 PER), reuniting the duo after their successful run together with the Rockets. While the 10-time All-Star’s conditioning and attitude has come into question many times over the last two seasons, his prolific talents are undeniable, with the three-time scoring champion coupled with (All-NBA Center) Joel Embiid (30.4 PTS, 49.6% FG, 37.1% 3FG, 81.6% FT, 11.6 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.5 BLK, 31.2 PER ) to create a devastating inside-outside combination that could potentially put Philly above the rest as the class of the stacked Eastern Conference. Of course, Embiid is a MAJOR reason that this team managed to stay in contention throughout Simmons’ lengthy protest, staking his claim as frontrunner for MVP in posting career-highs in a slew of categories including an NBA-best 30.4 points per game along with 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and a healthy PER of 31.2. So, how has the league’s newest dynamic duo performed thus far, you ask? Well, despite going through their ups and downs, the 76ers have gone a solid 17-8 since Harden’s arrival, receiving a major boost on the offensive end of the hardwood, where they’ve averaged 113.1 points on 45.9% shooting, including a torrid 37.8% from beyond the arc, while netting 23.8 free-throws a night, and dishing out 24.1 assists in comparison to committing just 11.5 turnovers. For someone still learning a new system and getting to know his teammates, Harden has performed as expected, averaging 21.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 10.1 assists, and 1.4 steals, though (Head Coach) Doc Rivers would no doubt like to see him improve upon his 40.7% shooting from the field and 33.6% shooting from downtown. The problem though has been on the defensive side of things, where the 32-year-old tends to be admittedly apathetic at times, with Philadelphia allowing 109.8 points per game on a disappointing 47.2% shooting, including 35.7% from three, with 24.2 assists opposed to forcing 12.1 turnovers, and narrowly besting their opponents on the glass by a scant +0.1 margin. Part of the problem is that this deal went down in the middle of February, making it difficult for a player that needs the ball in his hands as much as Harden does to truly get acclimated to his new surroundings, and for Rivers & Co to in turn alter their system to fit his skills. And it’s with that said that after suffering a disappointing three-game losing streak, that the Sixers rallied back to win three consecutive contests, the most recent being a 131-122 victory at the Pacers on Tuesday night. This one was a bit of a wonky affair, folks, for after a tightly contested first quarter, the visitors put their foot on the gas and blasted Indiana 49-28 in the second period, shooting a ridiculous 19-of-26 from the field (73.1%), including 9-of-11 from long-range (81.8%), with Embiid posting EIGHTEEN of his game-high FORTY-FIVE points in just over seven minutes of action. Following halftime, the hosts would flip the script by ousting Philly 40-25 in the third stanza, shaving a 27-point lead down to six in the final frame of play. However, Embiid & Co proved to be too much down the stretch for the home side to contend with. Embiid’s scoring output came on an efficient 18-of-30 shooting (60.0%), including 7-of-10 from the charity stripe (70.0%), along with thirteen rebounds and a pair of assists. Though it was certainly a down night for Harden from a scoring perspective (11 points on 4-of-10 FG), he made up for it with FOURTEEN assists, with (sparkplug Guard) Tyrese Maxey (17.3 PTS, 48.2% FG, 42.9% 3FG, 86.2% FT, 3.3 REB, 4.3 AST, 0.7 STL, 16.0 PER) picking up the slack with thirty points on 9-of-12 shooting (75.0%), including a scintillating 8-of-11 from the perimeter (72.7%). That win allowed them to keep pace with the Heat (who they trail by two games), the Celtics (a half game), and the Bucks (who own the tiebreaker) at the top of the East, though with three games left to play, time is running out to climb any higher. After tonight’s trip north of the border, the 76ers will end the regular season at home in the City of Brotherly Love where they will play host to those same Pacers and the struggling Pistons, with Rivers’ troops favored to best both sides.
Meanwhile, though their opponent was expected to be in this position at this point of the campaign, the Raptors (46-33, 5th in Eastern Conference) were NOT, as they entered 2021-2022 very much in a state of transition. Three years removed from winning the franchise’s first NBA Championship, Toronto missed the postseason altogether last year for the time since 2013, and thus spent much of the offseason saying goodbye to the last heroes left from that era of basketball north of the border, with (Head Coach) Nick Nurse and (General Manager) Masai Ujiri ready to turn the page and build the next generation’s winner. And it’s with that said that the season began according to design, with the dinosaurs getting off to a rocky 9-13 start to close out the month of November. However, something interesting happened as the calendar transitioned into December… they started winning games. Since December 1st, the Raptors are a solid 35-20, thanks to an eight-game winning streak bridging January and February and a 14-8 run after the All-Star Break. So, what in the name of Vince Carter has gotten into this group, you ask? Well, in one word: DEFENSE. Nurse has been lauded for his aptitude as a Head Coach on both ends of the hardwood, but his willingness to employ a wide variety of defensive looks ranging from exotic zones to collegiate-style box-and-ones coupled with the length, athleticism and range of his personnel has turned this unit into one of the Association’s stingiest in a short period of time. On the season, Toronto ranks eighth overall in defensive rating (110.4) and sixth in points allowed (106.9), thanks in large part to creating utter havoc with 15.8 turnovers per game (2nd Overall), keyed by an average of 9.0 steals (2nd Overall), leading to a league-best turnover percentage of 14.4%. Again, it certainly helps having versatile players who can guard multiple positions, and Nurse has no shortage of such talents; though he hasn’t quite taken the star turn that many expected, (veteran Forward) Pascal Siakam (22.5 PTS, 49.4% FG 35.4% 3FG, 74.7% FT, 8.5 REB, 5.2 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.6 STL, 19.9 PER) has escaped the cloud of early season trade rumors to lead the Raptors in scoring (22.5) and rebounding (8.5), while logging 1.2 steals, with (versatile Swingman) O.G. Anunoby (17.3 PTS, 44.5% FG, 36.9% 3FG, 75.0% FT, 5.4 REB, 2.6 AST, 1.5 STL, 0.5 BLK, 14.9 PER) looking like one of the most improved players in the NBA. Furthermore, (veteran Guard) Fred VanVleet (20.3 PTS, 40.3% FG, 37.7% 3FG, 87.4% FT, 4.4 REB, 6.7 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.5 BLK, 17.4 PER) continues to make good on the lucrative investment that the club made in him a year ago, while his young backcourt mate, Gary Trent Jr. (18.1 PTS, 41.0% FG, 37.7% 3FG, 85.0% FT, 2.7 REB, 2.0 AST, 1.8 STL, 14.5 PER) has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise since arriving via trade last season. Oh, and then there is (Rookie Forward) Scottie Barnes (15.5 PTS, 49.1% FG, 30.1% 3FG, 73.2% FT, 7.6 REB, 3.5 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.8 BLK, 16.5 PER), who has grown leaps and bounds in his first season on the professional level; like many prospects coming out of Florida State, the fourth overall pick in last summer’s NBA Draft is long, physical, and covers a ton of ground, fitting into Nurse’s scheme perfectly as he and his teammates switch relentlessly. And it’s that defensive prowess that makes the Raptors a tough matchup for the 76ers, who they’ve bested in two of their three meetings thus far; Toronto has held Philadelphia to just 103.7 points on 43.7% shooting from the field, including 35.3% from beyond the arc, while hammering them on the glass (+8.4). In their most recent encounter, which happened to be the only one after Harden’s arrival, Nurse’s charges completely smothered the Sixers in a 93-88 affair, limiting them to their third-lowest scoring output since the trade. After falling behind 37-27 in the first quarter, the visiting dinosaurs flipped the script in the second period, outscoring the hosts 30-17, and in the fourth frame of play held them to a scant FOURTEEN points on 4-of-14 shooting (28.6%) and 1-of-6 from downtown (16.7%). Despite shooting just 37.6% overall themselves, the visiting side managed to earn the victory due to their hard work on the glass, which led to a wealth of second chance opportunities; the Raptors outrebounded the 76ers 56-40, including a staggering 20-5 on the offensive end, which played a HUGE role in attempting TWENTY more field goals than their opponent. Furthermore, they completely confounded Embiid and Harden, with the tandem of All-Stars combining for just thirty-eight points on 11-of-32 shooting (34.3%), including 0-of-7 from three, with the latter of the two accounting for SIX of his team’s ten turnovers. Siakam led the way with twenty-six points on an efficient 10-of-20 shooting (50.0%) along with ten rebounds, and five assists, while (Sophomore Forward) Precious Achiuwa (9.0 PTS, 43.9% FG, 34.8% 3FG, 58.7% FT, 6.6 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.5 BLK, 12.7 PER) matched a career-high with twenty-one points on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%) and nine rebounds, four of which were of the offensive variety. The young Nigerian has really made a leap of late under Nurse’s watch, averaging 12.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists since late February in which he’s logged a career-best 24.5 minutes a night. With three outings remaining and leading the Bulls by 1.5 games, it his highly likely that Toronto will indeed stand pat as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, particularly when you consider that they are set to end the regular season at home against the Rockets before traveling to the Big Apple to battle the Knicks, both of which are very winnable contests. If Philly can’t climb out of fourth, then these two teams should be in store for an absolutely grueling opening salvo to the playoffs…