Instant Observations: 76ers Use Balanced Performance to Defeat Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers moved to 3-1 on the season after a convincing 114-99 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The team had three players score more than 20 points, led by Joel Embiid’s 28 points to go with 13 rebounds and seven assists. Tobias Harris added in 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including draining five of his six attempts from long distance.

Of the Sixers’ new acquisitions, Robert Covington and KJ Martin played one minute in garbage time. Marcus Morris was available but did not play. Nic Batum was unavailable due to personal reasons. Expect all of those players to have a role with the team once they get acclimated.

The Raptors were led by Scottie Barnes, who finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. OG Anunoby added 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Toronto was without Precious Achiuwa (left groin strain), Christian Koloko (illness) and Otto Porter Jr. (return to competition reconditioning).

The Sixers next take on the Phoenix Suns on Saturday afternoon. Here are some instant observations from the win over Toronto:

– Harris continued to quietly put together a strong start to the season. It is clear he is playing with a lot of confidence, leading to him making quick decisions and playing with aggression. In the opening quarter, he scored nine points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting. He had multiple contested finishes at the basket, including transition layups over Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam. Playing with more pace has been an emphasis for Harris under new head coach Nick Nurse, and it is clearly showing. Harris has looked like a completely different player from years past.

Harris’ defense on Siakam was arguably more impressive than his efficient offensive performance. With P.J. Tucker being included in the Harden trade, Harris is going to have more of the responsibility of defending bigger forwards. He did a great job limiting Siakam on Thursday, staying in front of him and preventing him from getting in any rhythm throughout the night. After trading Harden earlier in the week, Harris’ role overall is likely going to increase. If he can continue playing at this high of a level, the Sixers will be a much more dangerous team.

– Embiid did not have his most efficient night as a shooter. Despite that, his imprints were still all over the game. He is making strides as a passer this season, such as when he made a no-look behind-the-back pass to Oubre for a layup in the third quarter. Under Nurse, the Sixers are running their offense more through Embiid at the top of the key. There has been a lot more off-ball movement, whether through screens or dribble hand-offs. While there are still silly mistakes he needs to eliminate as a passer, it is clear he has made improvements in that part of his game.

When Embiid did look to score, he was often able to get deep into the paint. Poeltl and the rest of the Raptors were simply outmatched physically, with often no other choice but to foul Embiid. He got to the free-throw line at will, shooting 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. He showed complete command of the paint on both ends of the floor. His denial of Siakam at the rim was one of his more impressive blocks of the season.

JoJo said no no. ☝️ https://t.co/Z9BvhCX6l8 pic.twitter.com/sM0nULMfbe

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 3, 2023

His interior defense has been great so far this season. That continued on Thursday night, as his presence inside gave Toronto hesitation on any shot around the basket.

– For as good a start to the season as Oubre is having, his limitations began to show against the Raptors. He made his first start of the season, replacing P.J. Tucker in the starting lineup. He opened up the game defending Barnes, who consistently put him in a blender. Oubre lost track of Barnes around screens, leading to multiple open 3-pointers. He picked up two quick fouls attempting to defend Barnes.

Oubre is going to struggle defensively at times. However, on most nights his offense will more than make up for any defensive limitations. He was well on his way to having a quiet night offensively, but he flipped a switch in the third quarter. He scored 10 points in the third frame, including knocking down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. His strong play carried over into the final frame. With the Sixers offense in a bit of a funk, Oubre broke them out with some hustle on the offensive glass and a couple more 3-pointers. His play in the fourth quarter was a major reason why the team was able to prevent Toronto from getting back into the game.

– The 3-pointer has been a large part of Tyrese Maxey’s success as a scorer so far this season. The Raptors, specifically Dennis Schroder, generally did a good job sticking tight to Maxey on the perimeter. After he lit them up earlier this season, it was clear Toronto came into this game more prepared to slow him down. However, he managed to find other ways to produce offensively. He tormented Toronto’s defense with his speed and change of pace ability. His success offensively came when he was pushing the pace in transition to attack the basket. The 22-year old finished the game with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting to go with four assists and two steals.

– Furkan Korkmaz had a significant role off the bench against the Raptors. He took advantage of the opportunity, making an impact on both ends of the floor. He led a sequence towards the end of the first half that delighted the Philadelphia crowd. It began with him deflecting a pass and dunking the ball in transition. On the next possession, he drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Sixers a nine-point lead.

He was at the center of another strong sequence for the Sixers in the second half. At the end of the third quarter, Korkmaz created a turnover on the defensive end. The Turkish native followed it up by somehow powering through a ton of contact to make a reverse layup. It was good to see Korkmaz take advantage of this opportunity, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go with three steals in 21 minutes.

– Pat Beverley endeared himself to the Philadelphia faithful on Thursday night. He made multiple hustle plays, including one where he sprinted into the paint on a missed free throw, deflecting the ball off a Toronto player and creating another possession for the Sixers. His jumper has not fallen yet this season, but he is still making an impact through a mixture of hustle plays and tenacious defense.