The Philadelphia 76ers are navigating a rough patch for the first time this season and could be short-handed Thursday when they host the Toronto Raptors.
The Sixers started 8-1 but have lost two of their last three games, including a 123-101 defeat to the Boston Celtics in a heavily anticipated matchup Tuesday.
Philadelphia allowed Boston to make 22 3-pointers, including six by former Sixer Paul George. Jaylen Brown, who the team acquired from Boston in a blockbuster trade over the summer, battled foul trouble and managed just 13 points against his former squad.
“We’ve just got to get better,” Brown said. “Tonight was humbling. We got outplayed, out-executed. So we go back to the drawing board and get ready for the next one.”
LeBron James struggled on a 4-for-12 shooting night, finishing with 11 points. Joel Embiid’s stat line was even uglier, as he scored 16 points but shot 2 of 9 from the field.
“It’s a work in progress,” said Embiid, who is shooting just 37% from the floor and 12.1% from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing is just not thinking. I’m probably overthinking it.”
Embiid and James are listed as questionable for Thursday’s affair as the Sixers aim to avoid their first two-game skid of the season.
“I don’t really look at the record,” Embiid said. “I just look at the process of, ‘Are we getting better every day?’ We can always do a better job at all phases of the game.”
Tyrese Maxey, who leads Philadelphia in scoring at 26.7 points, certainly will be a focus of the Toronto defense. He averaged 31.4 points in four meetings with the Raptors last season as each team earned a pair of victories.
The Raptors appeared to be in line for a win Wednesday as they led by 22 against Boston before the Celtics ultimately rallied for a 98-93 triumph.
Ja’Kobe Walter scored 17 points to lead the Raptors, who played without Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Scottie Barnes (groin).
“It’s definitely a tough one because we beat ourselves (in) this one,” Walter said. “We just gotta learn from it.”
Allen Graves, Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2026 draft, scored a career-high 13 points. He made 3-of-4 3-pointers and collected five rebounds in 18 minutes.
“I thought Allen Graves played a great game tonight,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said, “with rebounding, with shooting the ball, with energy, with effort.”
Fellow reserves Alijah Martin and Jamison Battle also were among the positives for Toronto with 12 points apiece. Negatives for the Raptors included 14 turnovers, 11 of which came in the second half.
“That’s just execution and details and playing through fatigue,” Rajakovic said.
Additionally, three of the Toronto starters struggled with their shooting. Immanuel Quickley, Collin Murray-Boyles and RJ Barrett combined to make just 9-of-39 shots and will be eager for a bounce-back effort against Philadelphia.
The Raptors have lost five of their last seven games and sit at 5-6, putting them below .500 for the first time this season.
