NBA playoff picture may get a little clearer by the end of the night – the Philadelphia 76ers are coming off an ugly, 125-89 loss in game 5 in Toronto against the Raptors and have to stave off elimination in game 6 in front of their own fans. Philadelphians will be on the edge of their seats as they watch their team try to extend the season one more game, while Toronto is trying to put the playoff disappointment of the last few years behind them.
The Sixers won games two and three of the series already but dropped games 4 and 5 by a combined score of 226-185. Their star Joel Embiid has been hampered with both a sore left knee and a respiratory infection. In game five he was held to only 13 points and 6 rebounds. He also had 8 turnovers.
The Raptors meanwhile are riding high. Their star Kawhi Leonard had 21 points and 13 rebounds in game 5, while Pascal Siakam put up 25 points and 8 rebounds while suffering from a sore right calf.
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Their efforts have the Raptors on the verge of clinching the series and moving on to the conference finals for the first time since 2016. In each of the last three seasons, they were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Last season the Raptors tore through the regular season with at 59-23 record, good enough for first in the Eastern Conference but disappointed in the playoffs when they lost four straight games to the Cavs in the second round. The team fired head coach Dwane Casey after the season was over.
With that experience behind them, Leonard and new head coach Nick Nurse charted much of the same course through the regular season, finishing 58-24 for second place in the East but this time around have been much more dangerous in the playoffs.
The Raptors play a quintessential team game, relying on everyone on the court to contribute in one way or another. Besides Leonard, the Raptors consistently get points from Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Danny Green.
That’s not to say that the Sixers are toast; anything can happen in the playoffs, and in this series, in particular, has been a very up and down experience. Embiid and the Sixers played great in game 3, a 116-95 victory in which Embiid scored 33 points and 10 rebounds, ending the game with ‘MVP’ chants coming from the Wells Fargo Center Crowd.
The Sixers are 2-1 in the playoffs coming off a loss. In the regular season, their record after a loss was 21-8. The Raptors won three of the four regular-season matchups with the Sixers.
The Sixers have not won an NBA championship since 1983. Toronto has never won a championship in their 23-year existence in the NBA. The past three seasons they have made the playoffs, however, and have assembled a team that could contend for Basketball’s highest prize.
