The Philadelphia 76ers' playoff hopes have taken a hit after another heart-wrenching loss in Toronto. With Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined, the Sixers' bench was put to the test against a Raptors team missing key players Brandon Ingram and Jakob Poeltl.
Despite having enough depth on their roster, the Sixers couldn't muster up enough energy to take down Toronto in overtime, ultimately falling 116-115. A string of costly turnovers in crunch time saw the Raptors capitalize on the mistakes, capitalizing on momentum from a raucous crowd.
The Sixers' starting lineup has been plagued by defensive issues this season, and Sunday's game was no exception. With the emergence of Dominick Barlow as a two-way power forward, Nick Nurse opted to start with a smaller unit featuring Collin Murray-Boyles over injured center Sandro Mamukelashvili. This decision gave Toronto an opportunity to exploit the Sixers' lack of interior presence.
The Raptors' small-ball lineup worked in their favor, while the Sixers struggled to find cohesion on offense and defense. Despite Tyrese Maxey's incredible late-game scoring run, his team was unable to close out the win when it mattered most.
One player who is struggling to break into Nurse's rotation is Trendon Watford. After a promising start to the season, Watford has found himself on the outside looking in as Barlow and Jabari Walker have taken over starting duties. A recent resurgence from both players makes it clear that Watford's unorthodox game doesn't fit with the team's current strategy.
The Sixers will face their toughest test yet when they take on the Raptors again on Monday, with Embiid and George's status uncertain at the time of writing.
Despite having enough depth on their roster, the Sixers couldn't muster up enough energy to take down Toronto in overtime, ultimately falling 116-115. A string of costly turnovers in crunch time saw the Raptors capitalize on the mistakes, capitalizing on momentum from a raucous crowd.
The Sixers' starting lineup has been plagued by defensive issues this season, and Sunday's game was no exception. With the emergence of Dominick Barlow as a two-way power forward, Nick Nurse opted to start with a smaller unit featuring Collin Murray-Boyles over injured center Sandro Mamukelashvili. This decision gave Toronto an opportunity to exploit the Sixers' lack of interior presence.
The Raptors' small-ball lineup worked in their favor, while the Sixers struggled to find cohesion on offense and defense. Despite Tyrese Maxey's incredible late-game scoring run, his team was unable to close out the win when it mattered most.
One player who is struggling to break into Nurse's rotation is Trendon Watford. After a promising start to the season, Watford has found himself on the outside looking in as Barlow and Jabari Walker have taken over starting duties. A recent resurgence from both players makes it clear that Watford's unorthodox game doesn't fit with the team's current strategy.
The Sixers will face their toughest test yet when they take on the Raptors again on Monday, with Embiid and George's status uncertain at the time of writing.
he's been grinding all season and now it seems like he's stuck on the bench while barlow & jabari are getting all the love 
his game is so unique and watford was having a solid run before barlow came in, but coach nurse just decided to go with a different vibe 
i get it, teams gotta adapt, but watford's talent deserves some more minutes 
. Can't we just have a discussion about sports without having to go back and forth like 5 times? It feels like no matter what topic we're on, someone always has to bring up an old thread from last week 
I'm trying to scroll through my socials here, not spend 10 minutes reading about basketball history... 
barlow is def making an impact tho! 
gotta love how coach nurse is mixing it up w/ different lineups 
raptors winning this one might not be a bad thing for the sixers after all 
at least they're forcing themselves to grow and figure out what works best
This loss has me thinking... what if the Sixers start with a smaller unit more often? 
Collin Murray-Boyles is giving Barlow some great matchups, but it might be better to utilize his strengths against bigger opponents 
. Meanwhile, Trendon Watford's struggles have got me wondering: did they try him in different roles or was it just not meant to be? 
. Trendon Watford is in a weird spot, unorthodox game not fitting in... maybe he'll find his place soon? 
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. They're trying to go small-ball, but it's just not working out for them 
. Dominick Barlow is a nice player, but starting him over an injured Mamukelashvili? 
. But the team needs to figure out how to balance offense with defense. This week's games against Toronto will be crucial 
.
! They're so close to getting that W, but then they gotta drop it 
Barlow's emergence as a power forward is cool, but can they just find some consistency with their defense? 
This Raptors team is giving them a run for their money, and it's gonna be intense when they face off again on Monday 
. I'm still holding out hope they can turn this around, but Monday's game against the Raptors looks like a tall order... 