76ers vs. Raptors Sport 5 takeaways: Toronto climbs relieve into sequence with 2d straight earn over Philadelphia

What as soon as regarded relish a most likely sweep is now an interesting sequence because the Toronto Raptors bested the Philadelphia 76ers 103-88 in Sport 5 on Monday night. The earn used to be the 2d straight for Toronto, and a series that used to be started off 3-0 in Philadelphia’s desire is now 3-2 with Sport 6 plot to be played in Toronto on Thursday night. 

The Raptors had been with out All-Significant person guard Fred VanVleet attributable to a hip trouble he suffered in Sport 4, but they bought an excellent deal of different contributions. Pascal Siakam led the kind for Toronto with a shut to triple-double — 23 facets, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Treasured Achiuwa scored 17 facets and grabbed seven rebounds off of the bench, and Gary Trent Jr. and OG Anunoby added 16 facets apiece. Toronto shot 50 p.c from the flooring and have change into the ball over stunning nine cases. 

On the opposite side, all five of the Sixers starters scored in double figures — led by Joel Embiid (20 facets, 11 rebounds) — but none of them played in particular successfully, and Philadelphia’s bench used to be outscored 29-11 over the course of the contest. 

It used to be a pertaining to total performance from Philly, as they for certain did now not come out with the vitality, effort and center of attention that one would have anticipated them to with a possibility to shut out the sequence in front of their dwelling followers sitting in front of them. Extra pertaining to is the truth that here is the 2d straight heart-broken performance from Philly. As a substitute of closing the Raptors out, they’ve allowed them to loiter around and manufacture self belief, and moreover they will be a more challenging crew to effect away with due to it. 

Right here are three key takeaways from Toronto’s Sport 5 victory over Philadelphia. 

1. Toronto’s dimension used to be a distress for Philly 

Fred VanVleet lacking the sport might need been a blessing in hide for the Raptors. He used to be main to Toronto’s success all season, but the Sixers had been having some severe success going at him defensively early in the sequence. With him sidelined, Reduce Nurse and the Raptors went colossal, choosing a beginning lineup of Siakam, Onunoby, Trent Jr., Birch and Barnes. Trent Jr. is the shortest out of these players at 6’5″. Off the bench, Toronto handiest played three guys (no longer including the closing minute of garbage time) — Thaddeus Younger, Chris Boucher and Achiuwa. Those guys are all no longer decrease than 6’8′. 

In other phrases, Toronto had an especially gigantic lineup out there for everything of the sport, and it flustered Philadelphia. The Sixers struggled to penetrate into the paint as they did earlier in the sequence, and moreover they additionally had a laborious time getting off spruce looks to be like. Right here is reflected by the truth that they shot stunning 38 p.c from the discipline and 27 p.c from long vary. Toronto’s dimension additionally ended in turnovers — 15 of them by the Sixers.

That isn’t any longer intended as a knock on VanVleet, but on this sequence, his absence might be an addition by subtraction scenario for the Raptors. His station for Sport 6 is nonetheless a ask at this level, but no topic whether he performs or no longer, the Sixers should always resolve out a system to higher take care of Toronto’s dimension. 

2. An abysmal 2d quarter for Philadelphia  

An argument will likely be made that this sport used to be lost in the 2d quarter. Trailing by one after 12 minutes of action, the Sixers had been then outscored 25-14 in the 2d, and moreover they had been never rather in a station to climb relieve into the sport after that. They shot stunning five of 22 from the flooring in the quarter, and moreover they’d as many turnovers as assists (three). Realizing how gruesome this shot chart looks to be like:

There is merely no excuse for scoring stunning 14 facets in a total quarter, in particular when your heavy hitters are playing main minutes. Embiid played over eight minutes in the quarter. Harden played 10. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey both played the full quarter. Those guys wants in dispute to muster extra than what amounts to barely over a level a minute, and Doc Rivers wants in dispute to position them ready to be extra productive when the offense is stalling, because it clearly used to be. 

Ending off this sequence and inserting Toronto away will require a plump 48-minute effort from the Sixers. They are able to’t afford to any extent further quarters as inferior as that one.  

3. Toronto dominated the paint 

You might advise that the crew with the dominant center would earn the battle of facets in the paint, but that wasn’t the case in Sport 5. No topic Embiid’s presence on the flooring, Toronto outscored Philadelphia by 20 (56-36) in the paint. The Raptors repeatedly bought to the rim, and as soon as there, they accomplished. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Raptors transformed 24 of their 28 makes an strive within four feet of the basket. The Sixers had 29 such makes an strive but transformed handiest 18 of them. Shifting forward, the Sixers will should always attain an even bigger job of maintaining the rim, while additionally changing extra straightforward makes an strive on the opposite cease.