Doc Rivers Describes What Went Wrong for 76ers vs. Raptors

The 76ers came up short against the Raptors on Wednesday night in Toronto.

The last time the Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Toronto Raptors, the home team’s season was on the line. After snagging two-straight wins in the first round of the playoffs following an 0-3 start to the first-round series, the Raptors looked to force a Game 7 in South Philly.

But the Sixers did all they could to end the series in six. A successful victory for Philadelphia ended the Raptors’ 2021-2022 season prematurely. And for the first time since that late April loss, the Sixers and the Raptors faced off against one another on Wednesday night.

The home team clearly entered the matchup with a chip on their shoulder. As they hit nearly 60 percent of their threes, firing shots at will on offense, the Raptors totaled 35 points in the first quarter against the Sixers.

By the second quarter, the Raptors led by as many as 17 points. While the Sixers battled back and managed to stop the bleeding a bit, they still trailed by ten points going into halftime. 

“At the start of the game, we just gifted the baskets,” said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. “When you look at the box, all the quarters after that are basically even. It’s the first quarter that we got off to such a slow start, and their key guys got going. We just gifted guys shots early.”

A stellar third-quarter showing from the third-year guard Tyrese Maxey allowed the Sixers to keep the game within arm’s reach. As he went 5-6 from the field, scoring 12 points in ten minutes, Maxey helped the Sixers enter the fourth quarter with a chance as they trailed 89-79. 

The Sixers continued to find success on offense as they drained 55 percent of their shots in the fourth quarter and went 6-12 from deep, but their defense allowed the Raptors to get every point back as Toronto and Philly each scored 56 points in the second half. 

Typically, Doc Rivers points to the defense’s struggles as a reason why their offense stalls out at times, but the head coach thought a lot of the team’s struggles started on offense Wednesday night.

“Even though we shot 51 percent, it can be such a better offense if we just played right,” Rivers explained. “If we spaced the floor more, played a little faster, and didn’t turn the ball over. After the first quarter, again, if you take away how we play defense, if you take away the pick sixes that we gave — our turnovers were take the turnover for a basket." 

The Sixers turned the ball over 13 times, which generated 21 points for the Raptors. As the Sixers’ transition defense continues to look lackluster, they lost a lot of momentum in Toronto on Wednesday. And even though they were technically never entirely out of the matchup until the final minute, the Raptors maintained control of the game as they never lost the lead beyond the first quarter. 

“You know, it’s hard to win a game like that, especially when you’re behind to start with,” Rivers finished. “The film is gonna say a lot.”

Despite impressive offensive performances by Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, who each scored 31 points, the Sixers fell short to the Raptors 119-109.

The Sixers will get Thursday off to re-group and prepare for their second outing against the Raptors, which is set to take place on Friday at Scotiabank Arena. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.