The Raptors gave the Sixers their best shot on Monday night.
The result was another dominating Sixes win.
The Sixers fell behind briefly on Monday night, but eventually turned it around to once again embarrass the Raptors in a 112-97 win.
The series now shifts to Toronto, where the Sixers will once again face a desperate Raptors team, especially now that they are down 2-0. If the Sixers play to their potential, however, it is apparent this series might not make it to a Game 5.
Here are some takeaways from the win:
Joel Embiid: Raptors were extremely physical with Embiid early, trying to push him around right from the tip. Siakam took Embiid out hard during a drive to the basket. Anunoby had to be held back by his teammates and the ref after pushing Embiid in the back. Embiid not only took the physical play while keeping his cool, but it seemed to fire him up, as he helps the Sixers dig their way out of a big hole early and finishing with 19 points in the first quarter. At certain points in Embiid's career, especially early on, he has seemed to get frustrated in games and it has impacted his play. Physical play like what the Raptors hit Embiid with early on might have rattled him in past seasons. On Monday, however, it made Embiid play better to the tune of 31 points — and his play fueled the Sixers to the big win.
Note: Embiid seemed to be dealing with an elbow injury in the third quarter. He played through it for a few minutes, but eventually came out before the start of the fourth quarter. He came back in but continued to rub it and seemed to be in pain. His elbow issue is definitely something to monitor for Game 3.
Nick Nurse: Nurse spent the time between the two games complaining every chance he got about the officiating in Game 1. Maybe he should have spent some more time game planning instead. It was apparent early on that Nurse's best plan he could come up with was hoping his constant complaining to the refs would give his team a chance. Not only did his plan not work, but it completely backfired, as it seemed both Nurse and his players were far more obsessed with the officiating than the game. The Raptors were called for 15 personal fouls in the first half and Nurse sent the entire time focused on yelling at the officials. Trying to work the officials is one thing. Nurse's obsession with getting foul calls had to be discouraging to his players, as Nurse looked defeated instead of hopeful or encouraging after every foul.
Raptors physical early: The Raptors clearly came out with a game plan of trying to push the Sixers around, and early on, it seemed like it was going to work as they opened up a 5-0, 8-0 and 11-2 lead in the first three minutes. The plan eventually, however, backfired. The physical play got what was a dead crowd fired up and a slow-starting Sixers team extremely fired up. It also got the Raptors in foul trouble early, as Anunoby and Siakam both picked up two fouls in the first five minutes. The Raptors were called for seven fouls in the first quarter. The Sixers answered the Raptor's opening punch, however, and managed to trail by just one, 33-32. Their ability to take the Raptors best shot early, and rebound quickly, helped them pull away in the second quarter to a 67-52 lead at halftime.
Talent Difference: It was apparent in Game 1. It was even more clear in Game 2. The Raptors simply do not have the talent to stick with the Sixers. The Sixers held a huge advantage for most of the opening game of the series, and after did everything they could to keep it close for the first quarter, the Sixers once again built another huge lead in the second quarter like they did in Game 1. The Raptors don't really have anybody that can carry them. They don't have a Joel Embiid. They don't have a James Harden. They don't even have a Tyrese Maxey, and honestly, they might not even have a player considerably better than Tobias Harris. The Sixers need to keep their focus to close the series out, but at this point, it is obvious the only way the Sixers lose is if they completely blow it and let a less talented Raptors team somehow stick around.
Maintaining a Lead: The Sixers once again carried a big lead into halftime, which means once again, they faced the pressure of trying not to blow it in the third quarter. Just like Game 1 the Sixers once again held onto their lead, turning a 15-point lead into a 26-point lead at one point. Things got shaky in the fourth quarter, however, as the Raptors cut the lead to 11 with just over six minutes to play. The feeing in the arena was definitely tense and it seemed like the Sixers were going to blow it until Maxey hit a three to put the Sixers back up 100-86. Two free throws by Tobias Harris on the next possession increased the lead back to 16. Credit to the Sixers for turning things around pretty much as soon as it seemed like there was a legit chance the Raptors could come back.
James Harden: If there has been one semi-concerning takeaway from the first two games it is that James Harden doesn't look much different than he did in the regular season. So far, that hasn't mattered. But if the Sixers ever need Harden to be a bigger contributor as a scorer for a prolonged stretch it doesn't look like he will be capable of doing it.
Paul Reed: Paul Reed was once again the first center off the bench for the Sixers, and once again, the Sixers won the minutes he played. The Sixers were +9 in Reed's first stint on the court, helping to fuel the team to their biggest lead of the game, 50-42. Reed is a good matchup against the smaller Raptors, but at this point, it is going to be hard for Rivers to go back to DeAndre Jordan regardless of opponent.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com
