The Philadelphia 76ers roared back from Sunday’s overtime heartbreak, torching the Toronto Raptors 115-102 Monday night to split their back-to-back set and reclaim momentum before a two-game homestand against Cleveland.
At a Glance
- Tyrese Maxey poured in a game-high 33 points, pushing his season average to 30.9 PPG-best in the Eastern Conference and third league-wide
- Joel Embiid added 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and is now three points shy of 13,000 for his career
- The Sixers shot 14-for-17 in the first quarter, including 7-for-8 from deep, to build a 31-point halftime cushion
- Why it matters: Philadelphia avoids a sweep in Toronto and heads home with confidence-and a full roster-ahead of two straight against the surging Cavaliers
Maxey’s First-Quarter Flurry
Maxey needed only 12 minutes to remind the league why he leads the East in scoring. He darted past defenders, canned mid-range pull-ups and buried threes well beyond the arc, scoring 18 of his 33 on 6-for-7 shooting in the opening frame.
- The 25-year-old has now scored 30-plus in 36 games this season
- If he finishes at 30 PPG, the Sixers will have logged four such campaigns in five years-Embiid produced the other three
- Maxey’s hand-off three with Embiid late in the second stretched the lead to 73-44
Embiid Above the Rim
Embiid’s signature moment came midway through the second when he took a feed from rookie VJ Edgecombe, powered through the lane and unleashed a one-handed slam that had the Sixers’ bench erupting. The play signaled both health and aggression from the star center.
- Embiid is seventh on the franchise scoring list and will reach 13,000 career points with a routine scoring night Wednesday
- He finished 10-for-19 from the field, complementing Maxey’s perimeter fireworks
- The duo combined for 60 of the team’s 115 points
Edgecombe’s Breakout Night
Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe supplied the spark Philadelphia lacked Sunday, drilling 5-for-6 from deep and dishing eight assists. His 15 points matched the total output of Toronto’s depleted second unit.
- Edgecombe’s first-quarter triple stretched the early lead to 38-19
- He repeatedly found cutters out of the pick-and-roll, keeping Toronto’s defense tilted
- The 20-year-old logged 29 minutes-his second-highest total of the season
Raptors’ Injury Woes
Toronto entered shorthanded. RJ Barrett (knee), Jakob Poeltl (finger) and rookie Ja’Kobe Walter (ankle) all sat, leaving the Raptors to lean on Gradey Dick and a thin bench. A late third-quarter run trimmed the deficit to 18, but the outcome never felt in doubt.
- Toronto shot 41 percent overall and 9-for-34 from three
- Dick’s layup with 2:04 left in the third cut the gap to 83-65, the closest the Raptors would get
- The loss drops Toronto to 24-18, still good for sixth in the East
Lowry’s Toronto Curtain Call
The Scotiabank Arena crowd had one lingering request: bring back Kyle Lowry. Nurse obliged with 1:57 left, and the six-time All-Star soaked in a standing ovation.
- Lowry missed all three shot attempts but dribbled out the clock and raised his arm to the fans
- He spent 12 seasons in Toronto, winning the 2019 title and cementing himself as the franchise’s most beloved player
- The 39-year-old is averaging 4.1 points in 14 minutes per game this season
Up Next
The Sixers return home for a quick two-game set against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip-off Wednesday is 7 p.m.; the teams meet again Friday night. Philadelphia sits fifth in the East at 22-16, one game behind Cleveland and 2.5 clear of Miami in the play-in tier.
Key Takeaways
- Maxey’s scoring binge keeps Philadelphia afloat while Embiid manages minutes
- Edgecombe’s emergence gives Nurse another reliable shooter and secondary playmaker
- Health remains the biggest variable: the Sixers are 11-3 when their full Big Three suits up
- Two wins over Cleveland would vault Philadelphia into the East’s top four and hand the Cavs their first three-game skid of the season
