The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, with both teams dealing with fatigue and injuries. Toronto enters on a four-game win streak after rallying past the Atlanta Hawks 109-97 on Friday, while Philadelphia has lost two straight amid a thin roster. The Raptors swept all four meetings against the Sixers last season.
Both the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors could use extra rest as they meet Saturday, with Toronto playing the second game of a back-to-back. The Raptors rallied from deficits of 13 points in the second quarter and eight in the fourth to defeat the host Atlanta Hawks 109-97 on Friday, outscoring them 36-20 in the final period. "We talked at halftime that we did not play to our standard in the first half, and that we could do much better," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. "We just wanted to focus on the second half. It was good to see the team respond and play much better in the second half."
Brandon Ingram led Toronto with 20 points, RJ Barrett added 19, and Immanuel Quickley scored 18. Scottie Barnes contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Jakob Poeltl had 12 points and 10 boards for double-doubles. Barnes, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season, has emerged as the team's top defender and offensive contributor. "I'm just stepping into it," Barnes said. "I've been working on shooting, going to it confidently, especially sometimes when I've got nothing going and that's what the defense has given me. I'm eager to shoot it."
The 76ers, meanwhile, have leaned heavily on their starters due to injuries. Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr. are each averaging at least 37 minutes per game. Joel Embiid is on a minutes restriction, while Dominick Barlow and Jared McCain have missed time due to injuries, and Paul George remains sidelined recovering from an offseason left knee procedure. Embiid and McCain are expected to play against Toronto, but George and Barlow will sit out.
Philadelphia started 4-0 but is 1-3 since, including a 132-121 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, where they trailed by 26 early in the fourth but closed to within nine late. Edgecombe had a season-low seven points on 3-for-14 shooting. "We're going to keep playing till this (stuff's) over. We're not going to give up," center Andre Drummond said. "We're going to play till that last buzzer goes off. That's the type of team that we want to make sure that everybody knows that we are."
Sixers coach Nick Nurse noted the challenges: "The tricky part for us right now is, obviously, there's probably four guys, maybe five, that are playing heavy minutes. But the tricky part is we've got a whole bunch of guys on minutes restrictions, guys coming back, and we've got to get those guys in condition and in shape. So it's a little bit of a tale of two teams. That's where we are."