Philadelphia 76ers outshine the shorthanded Toronto Raptors for a thrilling 98-93 win
Six players landed double figures for the Philadelphia 76ers, who squeaked past the shorthanded Toronto Raptors with a 98-93 victory at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night. Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young led the scoring for Philadelphia with 22 and 20 points respectively.
The undermanned Raptors set foot on the court without their star guard Leandro Barbosa and forward Amir Johnson. They were already missing the services of Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani and Linas Kleiza due to injuries. To make matters worse, Sonny Weems also didn’t return after halftime due to sore right knee.
Despite of having their big guns off the court, Toronto hung tough and managed to make the life difficult for the Sixers.
Philadelphia coach Doug Collins was disappointed with the team’s effort and said after the game."We're just a little bit off-kilter right now. We're not as connected as we've been. Our rotation is a little screwed up right now."
DeMar DeRozan spearheaded the shorthanded Raptors with a blistering game-high 27 while Jerryd Bayless landed 24 points. However, their super effort was outshined by the home team in the end.
The Sixers romped to an 8-2 run in the preliminary moments of the game to wrap up an early advantage. DeRozan however lifted the momentum for the Raptors and scored 10 quick points, to cut down the deficit to 18-21, with three minutes to go till the end of first quarter. Philadelphia laid a sturdy defense after that and restricted the opposition to score in the last three minutes of the first quarter taking a 28-18 advantage at its end.
The Sixers ballooned their lead to as many as 15 points in the starting three minutes of the second. The Raptors bounced back with 3 scorching blows from downtown, however Philadelphia sustained their momentum and procured a 54-42 lead as the game progressed into the second half.
Keyed by DeRozan and Bayless, Toronto took the charge stoutly after halftime. The Raps went on a 27-16 run in the third quarter and when Bayless buried a blistering blow from beyond the arc with 20 seconds remaining, Raps got the first lead of the game at 72-70. Young however rebounded back for the Sixers with a three point play as Philadelphia restored a one point lead going into the fourth.
After bouncing back impressively in the third, Toronto lost control in the start of the final quarter as the home team smashed them for a 9-2 run. Bayless showed some retaliation and scored 13 points of his 24 in the fourth period however Philadelphia’s starters came in his way and sealed a thrilling 98-93 victory.
The Sixers are left with two games in the regular season and if they can manage to win both, they might have a chance to clinch the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference from New York Knicks.
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