Raptors feel Poeltl’s absence in loss to Sixers

Even though Joel Embiid was a on a minutes restriction, the Raptors missed dearly, Jakob Poeltl’s inside presence.

The Sixers won 64-38 in points in the paint. Embiid and Trenton Watford were a combined 12-for-16 in there – Embiid 6-9; Watford, 6-7. And superstar Tyrese Maxey was getting drives and finishing at the rim, unlike the persistent habit of his Raptor doppelgänger, IQ. 

The Raptors had an unreal start to the first quarter, scoring 8-10 from downtown en route to 43 points. They led Philly by 10 points, but their shooting eventually cooled off. In the second quarter, the Raptors went 3-8 from downtown, but they scored 0 – donuts! – points in the paint and by halftime, the Sixers dominates the Raptors inside with a 32-6 discrepancy in points in the paint.

IQ + Shead were incredible in the first quarter, hitting five 3s (IQ three, Shead two), but the Sixers took a five-point lead by halftime and never let go, even though the Raptors put up a spirited fight in the second half.

As Samson mentioned, the third quarter was very much Jekyll and Hyde. Scottie came out of his distributor role and scored in a myriad of ways. He stepped up for the team big time and put speed bumps on Embiid, playing solid man-to-man D. At one point, the game was tied at 78, but the Sixers also went on a 9-0 run without Embiid, and the Raptors shifted the momentum by going on a 8-0 run of their own with Embid on at the end of the third frame.

It was a four-point game to start the final quarter, but in a game that’s won on the margins, it could really could have been a so many different factors to change the final outcome. Not turning the ball over on a pick-and-rolls (though this wasn’t common and the Raptors had 10 turnovers). IQ being aware of the shot clock at the end of the game. Gradey Dick hitting another three or Ja’Kobe finishing at the rim after Scottie rifled a pass from the perimeter. I’m not sure if the two are related, but BI seemed a little out of sorts after throwing a water bottle in protest of a delay of game foul. He missed a defensive rotation, leaving Grimes wide open on a corner 3 attempt. But thank goodness, he missed.

The Raptors rookie remained an anchor throughout the game. CMB was a defensive menace throughout and offensively, scored in the paint and even hit a triple in the second quarter. Shead hit a big 3 in the fourth, but perhaps the fatigue from a back-to-back finally caught up to them. They seemed deflated on the defensive end. RJ hit a clutch 3 to make it a three-point game too, but the game slipped away despite coming so close, so many times.

The Raps are a talented bunch, but there’s some changes needed as echoed in the comments section of the Quick Reaction. The Sixers were not fully healthy as Paul George was sidelined. If the Raps are to be a competitive team against the best of the East, there are personnel changes that may finally need to be addressed.

Here’s what the Director of Strategy for the Vancouver Bandits said after watching last night’s game. “The Raptors themselves are filled with too many redundancies in my opinion. They have great players, a good coach, and size, but something is missing,” Jaxson Creasey said. “Barnes, Ingram, Barrett, and Quickley are individually excellent players, but collectively, there is only so much they can do. None of those players are matchup proof and especially, not without spacing. They do not provide that adequately for each other.”