One Stat That Exposes a Concerning Trend for Sixers This Season

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to hot starts. However, maintaining a significant lead hasn't been easy. On Thursday night, the trend continued

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to hot starts. However, maintaining a significant lead hasn't been easy. On Thursday night, the trend continued in Toronto.

With a matchup against the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers were lighting it up from beyond the arc once again. As they drained over 75-percent of their threes in the first quarter, the Sixers led the Raptors by as much as 15 points.

But it didn't take very long before the Raptors cut right into that lead. Going into the second quarter, Toronto trailed just seven points. Then in the second quarter, the Raptors outscored the Sixers 30-27.

Despite being in the lead at halftime, the Sixers were outscored once again in the third quarter, which caused them to fall behind going into the final quarter of the outing. And once the Raptors got out in front -- they never looked back.

At the end of the night, the Sixers picked up their 31st loss of the year. It was their third defeat against the Raptors. While Thursday's game didn't count for much, considering the Sixers have already solidified their spot in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, a certain stat after the game exposed a concerning trend for Philadelphia this season.

A Concerning Statistic

The Raptors trailed by as many as 15 tonight before coming back to beat the 76ers, 119-114, behind Pascal Siakam's 37-point triple-double.

For Philadelphia, it's their 7th loss this season after leading by 15+ points, 2nd only to the Knicks (8) for most in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/2j5iXPtH8g

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 8, 2022

According to ESPN, the Sixers picked up their seventh loss of the season, where they led by as much as 15 points in the matchup. With that loss, the Sixers trail just one team in that category; the New York Knicks.

This season, the Knicks have been highly disappointing. After notching the Eastern Conference's fourth seed last season, the Knicks followed up with a 35-45 record this year, ranking them 12th in the conference. They won't be making the playoffs for the second season in a row.

The Sixers will make a postseason appearance once again, but they need to ensure they clean up their mistakes and find ways to maintain their double-digit leads as the road doesn't get much easier for them beyond this week.  

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