Sixers Cruise Past The Raptors to Win Game 2
By Dylan MacKinnon
Two games in the books, and now two blowout wins for the Sixers. They cruised past the Raptors to win Game 2. Game 1 was all Tyrese Maxey. Tonight, it was Joel Embiid who took the reins to lead the Sixers in a 112-97. The win puts them up 2-0 in the series.
Embiid got going early. He scored 19 in the first quarter and got several Raptors in foul trouble. Embiid fought through hard contact and took some tough hits all night, but hung in to lead all scorers in tonight’s game. He finished with 31pts and 11rebs. Perhaps the most brilliant part of his night was this fadeaway 3pter.
The Play of the Night goes to Embiid, who nailed a fadeaway 3pter from the far corner as the shot clock was winding down, as called by Tom McGinnis. pic.twitter.com/DwfV73xto6
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 19, 2022
Maxey scored 23pts to follow up his 38 from game 1. Harden had 14pts, 6asts, 6rebs, 2blks, and 3stls. Harris had another quietly impressive night scoring 20pts, pulling down 10rebs, and getting 3blks. And Danny Green stepped up too. After struggling from 3 in game 1. He went 3-9 from deep tonight and finished with 11pts. As a team they shot 52.7 from the field, and 46.7 from 3pt range.
“Tobias has been so good for us. He’s playing without thought. He’s been great (defensively). He had three amazing helps today. This is as focused as I’ve seen Tobias defensively ever. He’s been fantastic.”- Doc Rivers
Things did get a little bit close in the 4th Quarter. The Raptors opened it on a 15-2 run. Their lead got cut down to just 11pts after starting the quarter up 24. But a steal, and a Maxey transition 3pter, took the wind out of their sails. Two minutes later, a surprising dunk by Danny Green put the Sixers back up 19. They ended up holding out and winning by 15.
Nick Nurse Complaining
Coming into the game the story was Nick Nurse calling out the Refs. he felt as though his players were not getting calls they deserved to get. He complained about in after game 1, and again before tonight game. This is what he had to say in his pregame press conference.
“I hope that they’ve got enough guts to at least stop the game and look at stuff tonight. I don’t mind physicality. It’s the playoffs, and we expect it to be physical, and we’ve got to be able to handle that.”
If he was upset before the game, I doubt his mood will change much after it. The Sixers got to the line 30 times, hitting 26 of their attempts. But if Nurse is going to complain about it, he would be hard-pressed to find examples of times a foul was called where it was not warranted. They attacked Embiid hard all game. He just nailed his FTs to make them pay for it.
You'll never guess: Nick Nurse is complaining again. pic.twitter.com/9CXy9Dwtzb
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 19, 2022
What is Next
The Sixers will now head out to Toronto. They get a night off and then will play Game 3 Wednesday night, and then Game 4 Saturday afternoon. They will return to Philly next Monday if a game 5 if needed.
It is unclear when and if Scottie Barnes will be available again in this series. He was out tonight with a ankle sprain. Thad Young was listed as available tonight, but never entered the game after spraining a finger the other night. Gary Trent Jr. left in the middle of this game due to illness.
