Raptors lose Game 1 of playoff series 131-111 against 76ers

Tyrese Maxey scored 21 of his 38 points in the third quarter Saturday to stuff any Raptors‘ hopes of a comeback, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Toronto 131-111 in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series.

Pascal Siakam scored 24 on a difficult night for Raptors. Scottie Barstyne was unable to return to the court after sustaining a left ankle injury and Fred VanVleet was forced off the court in the fourth quarter. OG Anunoby added 20 points.

Barnes had 15 points and 10 rebounds in an excellent playoff debut before Sixers’ 280-pound centre Joel Embiid stepped on the rookie’s foot sending him sprawling to the floor in agony with 9:06 to play. VanVleet scored 18 points and had six assists before he was forced to leave the game.

Embiid was able to score 19 points and grab 15 rebounds.

In the playoff series openers, the Raptors were ranked 5-17 overall. Game 2 of the best seven series will be played Monday in Philadelphia.

It was the first post-season meeting between the Atlantic Division rivals since Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater dispatched Philly in the 2019 conference semifinals.

Barely a week after the Raptors clawed back from a 17-2 deficit to beat Philly 119-114 in Toronto — the Sixers’ only loss in their final six games of the regular season — there was no second-half heroics on Saturday.

The Sixers’ 21-point lead in the second quarter had become 24 by early in the third. Achiuwa passed Embiid, picking up a foul. Achiuwa’s three-point play at 5 minutes 56 in the third captained a 10-2, which shaved the difference to eleven points and gave life to the Raptors. But Maxey almost single-handedly put a quick stop to Toronto’s momentum with his huge third quarter, and the Sixers led 107-88 with one quarter left.

The Raptors unravelled in the fourth and Shake Milton’s three-pointer with 7:34 to play put Philly up by 23 in front of the raucous Wells Fargo Arena crowd. Boucher, who had seven point on the night, fouled off with 5:27 left. Maxey’s jumper with 3:19 to play had the Sixers up by 22 and both coaches emptied their benches soon after.

The Raptors’ identity is about turning teams over and winning the offensive rebound battle, but the Sixers beat the Raptors at their own game on Saturday. Philly grabbed 10 offensive boards to Toronto’s seven, and committed just four turnovers to the Raptors’ eight.

The Raptors won their regular season series 3-1 against Philly. Like the 76ers they finished the season on a roll winning 14 of 18 games.

But the Sixers dominated from the outset, grabbing six offensive boards in the first quarter to Toronto’s two. They took a 10-point advantage and were leading 35-27 at the start of the second quarter.

Anunoby’s running dunk capped a 5-0 Raptors run that opened the second quarter. The difference was shaved to three points by it, but Philly still had 21 points after Harris scored a three with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter. Halftime saw the 76ers leading 69-51.

The series returns to Toronto on Wednesday and Saturday for Games 3 and 4. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the 2020 season end in the Disney World “bubble” and a 2021 season that saw the Raptors tumble down the standings amid a COVID-19 outbreak to finish 12th in 2021, it will be the first time Scotiabank Arena has hosted playoff basketball since Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

In Toronto on Saturday, fans gathered in “Jurassic Park” outside Scotiabank Arena to watch the game on the giant screen. Fans hadn’t gathered there to watch playoff basketball in 1,045 days, since the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors to win the 2019 NBA championship.

If necessary, the series will return to Philly for Game 5.