Doc Rivers Calls Out Sixers' Poor Execution vs. Raptors on Sunday

The Philadelphia 76ers looked to close out their week with a possible third-straight victory. After bouncing back against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on

The Philadelphia 76ers looked to close out their week with a possible third-straight victory. After bouncing back against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Wednesday and keeping the ball rolling with a big win over the Dallas Mavericks at home on Friday night, the Sixers had an opportunity to make it three in a row on Sunday night with the Toronto Raptors in town.

On Toronto's end, they were pretty shorthanded. With no Malachi Flynn, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet, the healthy 76ers should have been able to start their back-to-back on a high note with a victory against Toronto.

However, a hot first quarter from Philadelphia wasn't enough momentum for the Sixers for the following three quarters. After firing off nearly 40 points in the first quarter of action, the Sixers struggled throughout the rest of the night -- especially on the offensive end.

What Went Wrong?

"Just stagnant," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers when asked about what went wrong. "No ball movement, ran nothing the entire night, no posts, no rolls, no drives. You know, the first quarter, I think all but two of our points were from driving to the paint, from that point on, we just stood out on the perimeter, and didn't move the ball, didn't do much, didn't execute anything even out of timeouts. 

"We just had a very poor executing night offensively. It's funny they had all these offensive rebounds and scored all these points, and yet they only had 93 points. We have to be better offensively. Tonight, we were not."

After hitting on 60-percent of their shots in the first 12 minutes, the Sixers drained just 30-percent of their shots in the final three quarters. They went from producing 37 points in the first quarter alone to scoring just 51 points for the rest of the way. 

"I just didn't think we had the right approach," Rivers finished. "I don't know why but we didn't tonight. Everyone just stood around and watched each other play, and that's not how we've been playing. It's funny, you feel like you're getting it, and then you have one of these. You don't overdo it, but we did not play with any urgency tonight at all, offensively or defensively, and we still held them to 93 points."

Although the Sixers held the Raptors to 93 points and kept the game tight all the way through the end, Philadelphia simply didn't have what it took to head home on Sunday night with another win. With a 93-88 defeat, the Sixers picked up their 27th loss. Now, they are set to face the Miami Heat on Monday night in South Philly, where they will complete their back-to-back. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.