The Philadelphia 76ers returned home to the Wells Fargo Center after a hard Sunday night, where they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on the way. He was missing the big man Joel Embiid in that game and they met him again in line, and the big guy came back in a resounding way.
Embiid had a great night in which he won 29 points and 16 rebounds while throwing the Sixers on their backs when they needed him most in a 100-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Tobias Harris had one of his best games with the Sixers uniform, with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Seth Curry had 17, and Ben Simmons had 11, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
That being said, here are the three observations:
Start slow
Sixers continues to go on these slow starts, which is a little surprising when you consider the talent they have around Simmons and Embiid. The team woke up 41-28 before finally kicking high and equalized at 48 before a sloppy game allowed Toronto to go 8-0 in 45.1 seconds. to end the half. Then they woke up again with double digits in the third quarter before Embiid brought them back into it.
Again, this could be emphasized by the fact that they did not play much together and are a new team with a new system. In the end, this will not be a valid excuse. You will have to discover everything on the floor with this starter unit. Either they will move on with this group, or Rivers will have to make a change to make a noise.
Embiid dealing with double teams
The only positive thing that can be taken from this game is the way Embiid handled double teams. He was clear about his death, made the right decision when to leave, and was strong when time demanded. It is a pity that the Sixers missed so many open eyes in it, whether the work would appear in the final score of the box.
The reason this was impressive is because it’s Toronto. Sure, Marc Gasol is gone now, but Aron Baynes has a history of frustration with Embiid as well, and Nick Nurse still coaches this team. It is important to penetrate against this specific team.
Hesitation on offense
Sixers brought Curry to shoot the ball and provide space for the two stars. He does this only by being there, but he would do much better if he triggered the open glances that were given to him. Then this seemed to have an effect on everyone, as the Sixers looked wide open at him. The hesitation to look open probably shows that they will still win what Doc Rivers wants from them at that end of the floor.
On the other hand, Curry is a 44.3% career shooter. He’s the only guy who can’t hesitate when he catches the ball. Give him credit, he knocked down a big triple late in the game, but there should be no hesitation. He has to pick up the ball every time he catches it. That’s why the Sixers brought him here. He needs to space the floor for the two stars, so he needs to focus on that part of his game.