All 76ers

NBA Fans Disappointed in 76ers After Embiid-Less Loss vs Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers came up short against the Raptors on Friday.

Justin Grasso

Nov 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after a play against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after a play against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
In this story:

Two games into the 2024-2025 NBA season, Philadelphia 76ers fans are growing disappointed already.

Losing to a Milwaukee Bucks team without the combination of Joel Embiid and Paul George wasn’t anything anybody would overreact to. At the end of the day, the Sixers simply didn’t have enough to overcome the one-two punch from Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday night.

But a Friday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors on the road wasn’t a game the Sixers would have a lot of slack from the fan base if they lost. You could see that much on social media after the outing.

Tyrese Maxey attacking the basket against the Raptors.
Oct 25, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) shoots the ball as Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo (2) defends in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

NBA Fans React to Sixers’ Loss vs Raptors

@Ike58Reese: https://x.com/Ike58Reese/status/1849985417518432432

@Mookie__Bets: It’s incredible how consistently putrid the Sixers are when Embiid doesn’t play. Basically the worst team in the league. It should be studied.

@ebcinpa: Attention Sixers. Your product is becoming more and more unwatchable and irrelevant by the minute. Way to start a season and get the fans excited.

@hoosnhoopz: The Sixers are losing to the Raptors 3rd stringers but we as fans are still supposed to be ok with their handling of Embiid’s injury situation because “only the playoffs matter”. Like do y’all realize you have to actually win games in order to qualify for the postseason?!?

@RealMattCarey: there are people who are walking this Earth that think the Sixers should trade Embiid that should be forced to watch that game on repeat forever

@raiymenk: Sixers getting cooked by 2 way contract players. It’s so over

Once again, the Sixers played without Joel Embiid and Paul George. But on the other side, the Raptors played without several players, including RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

Friday’s game featured two teams on different paths. The Sixers have championship expectations and are expected to compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs deep into the season.

The Raptors are viewed as a Play-In at-best squad at this time. So, even without the George-Embiid duo, the expectation was that the Sixers would take care of business and get in the winner’s column for the first time this season.

Instead, the Sixers ended up collecting a 115-107 loss and falling to 0-2 to begin the year. The Raptors snapped a multi-year losing streak, preventing the Sixers from winning eight in a row over them.

The Sixers are gearing up for another road matchup on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers. They know already they’ll be without Embiid and George for the third-straight game. They’ll get another opportunity to collect win No. 1 during the first weekly slate.

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

Home/News