PHILADELPHIA — Pascal Siakam gave a pregame pep speak to maintain the Raptors calm in a hostile Philly atmosphere the place they already misplaced twice and fell right into a playoff gap.
The message was easy: “Take heed to our voices.”
How do they just like the sound of this? The resilient Raptors are headed house, nonetheless with an opportunity to drag off a sequence comeback that’s by no means occurred within the NBA.
Siakam had 23 factors and 10 rebounds, Treasured Achiuwa scored 17 and the Toronto Raptors pressured a return house for Recreation 6 of their Japanese Convention first-round sequence towards Philadelphia, beating the 76ers 103-88 on Monday evening.
“We at all times type of determine it out,” Siakam mentioned.
Yo, Canada! As soon as holding a 3-0 sequence lead, the 76ers are headed again north.
No workforce has ever blown a 3-0 benefit and misplaced a playoff sequence.
The Raptors have gained two straight within the sequence and jumped throughout injured Sixers heart Joel Embiid and ineffective James Harden to make Thursday evening’s sport a necessity.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Sixers favored by 1 1/2 factors for Recreation 6.
Embiid had 20 factors and 11 rebounds taking part in with a thumb harm. Harden scored 15 factors on 4-of-11 taking pictures.
“I used to be horrible defensively,” Embiid mentioned. “There’s actually no rationalization. I’ve simply received to play with extra power, transfer my ft higher. I’ve simply received to be higher.”
Rapper and well-known 76ers fan Meek Mill pulled his hood over his head and walked off from his courtside seat late within the sport and the house workforce down 14.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers is dragging the burden of ignominious NBA historical past with him by way of customs. Rivers, who led Boston to the 2008 championship, is the one coach in NBA historical past to blow three 3-1 sequence leads. The Magic misplaced to Detroit within the 2003 Japanese Convention first spherical; the 2015 Clippers blew the sequence to Houston within the Western Convention semifinals; and in 2020, the Clippers misplaced to Denver within the West semifinals.
The subsequent season, Rivers was in Philly — and the Sixers misplaced three video games at house because the No. 1 seed and had been eradicated within the second spherical.
The nerves in Philly are all of a sudden as tight as the edges.
“We by no means introduced the combat to them in the beginning of the sport, actually,” 76ers ahead Tobias Harris mentioned.
The Sixers had a depressing first half. They completed with 10 turnovers and shot 35% from the ground. Philly’s final bucket within the first quarter was one for the blooper reel: Matisse Thybulle’s missed shot bounced off the rim and was unintentionally tipped in by Achiuwa.
Whoops.
Possibly it sparked one thing for the Raptors. They opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run to take management all whereas the Sixers missed their first 9 photographs. The Sixers didn’t rating till 6:51 was left within the half. Scottie Barnes scored eight factors within the quarter and the Raptors took a 54-41 lead on the break.
“They had been the harder workforce all evening, they had been extra bodily all evening,” Rivers mentioned. “I don’t suppose it was the second quarter. I assumed it was all through the sport.”
The 76ers had been booed off the court docket, their play a bleak reminder of current postseason flameouts.
“We’ve generated actually good photographs many of the sequence,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse mentioned earlier than the sport. “We haven’t shot very nicely but. I instructed the blokes at present, at present can be a very good day to go forward and begin making a few of these open photographs.”
The Raptors listened, hovering round 50% for many of the sport. Additionally they managed the boards and scored 20 factors off 16 turnovers.
Harden may have used the taking pictures tip.
Harden performed the identical evening the All-Star he was traded for, Ben Simmons, was inactive for Brooklyn. Harden was barely extra seen and missed 6 of 8 photographs by way of three quarters, scoring 9 factors.
Embiid continued to play with a ligament tear in his proper thumb. He seemed gassed at occasions within the third quarter because the Raptors saved attacking the MVP finalist for powerful buckets, notably Achiuwa’s driving layup that made it 73-60.
Embiid had his personal rallying cry for the 76ers: Get again to the type of play that earned them the 3-0 lead.
“It’s the identical recipe. Don’t flip the ball over. Offensive rebound. We’ve undoubtedly received to be higher defensively,” he mentioned. “There’s a purpose we gained three video games in a row.”
OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. every scored 16 factors for the Raptors.
“Not precisely the way in which we'd draw it up, however we’re glad to nonetheless be taking part in,” Nurse mentioned.
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