The 76ers Take Down the Raptors by: John West Jr.
Photo Credit: Tim Nwachukwu/ Getty Images
The Sixers moved to 2-0 at home and 3-1 on the season when they beat the Toronto Raptors, 114-99, in their first game since the James Harden trade. It was the second time this season that the Sixers have played the Raptors, the former team of now Sixer Head Coach Nick Nurse, and they’ve won both games.
The Sixers hadn’t played a game since their home opener on Sunday and with all of the commotion going on in regards to the roster altering trade that took place Tuesday morning, it would have been understandable to see the Sixers come out a little slow come tip off Thursday night, but that wasn’t the case.
The Sixers led after the first quarter and never really looked back from there. The Raptors, who are now 2-4 to start the season, had some moments where they had built momentum, but the Sixers, led by Joel Embiid, never lost control for any large stretches of the game.
Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/ Getty Images
Embiid went 28-13-7, only missing one out of thirteen free throws. En route to a double double, the big man led the team in plus/minus rating with a plus 22, but the next closest Sixer behind him might surprise you. Furkan Korkmaz came in second, ending the night with a plus 16 rating, showing up at a time when the team needed him. Korkmaz only played three minutes in the Sixers win on Sunday against Portland and made some noise again throughout the week after apparently wanting to be included in the James Harden trade because he wasn’t getting enough playing time for his liking so far this season. That didn’t work out for Korkmaz, as he’s still on the Sixers roster, and that was a blessing in disguise for both Korkmaz and the Sixers on Thursday night.
Due to the newly acquired players from the Harden trade just arriving in Philadelphia yesterday, they haven’t been fully integrated into the Sixers system enough yet in order to be trusted with valuable minutes. That granted Korkmaz his wish and forced him into playing 22 minutes, 19 more than he played in his season debut on Sunday. In those 22 minutes, he scored 10 points, had 3 steals, and like I said earlier, was second on the team with a plus 16 rating. The Turkish guard spoke after the game to Sixers team reporter Lauren Rosen and said that he was happy he “finally got some run” and he thinks he did a good job. He added, “most importantly we won the game and I’m most happy for that.” After Thursday night, the Sixers now have four players, Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, averaging 20 points per game.
For a team that many question whether or not has the talent to be a true championship contender, that stat is worth noting through the first four games of the season. Especially considering one of those players is the reigning league MVP. That being said, it is just four games into a long season. While Tyrese Maxey came back down to Earth and had his statistically worst game of the season, putting up 18 points, Tobias Harris had his best game of the season on Thursday night. The forward shot 10 of 17 from the field, scored 23 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. When asked about Harris after the game, Nick Nurse said to NBC Sports Philly, “Tobias was really good on the offensive end, but he was just as good on the defensive end.” All of Harris' rebounds were on the defensive end of the court.
Kelly Oubre had a bounce back game after a shaky game on Sunday, where he missed every three pointer attempted for the second straight game, contributing 23 points. Oubre was elevated into a starting role in Thursday night’s game because of the fact that P.J. Tucker, who has been starting for the Sixers, was traded as part of the James Harden package. Oubre answered the bell by making 8 of 13 field goals for a 61.5% field goal percentage, including going 5 of 6 from deep. Oubre played in 48 games last year with the Charlotte Hornets and started in 40 of them, while finishing the year averaging 20.3 points per game. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities to think that Oubre, on a more talented Sixers roster than the team he was on last year and now with more minutes, could continue this early season pace he has set for himself. Although more consistency is needed in order for him to be counted on. The next chance we get to see if Oubre, and the rest of the Sixers, can continue the early season momentum they are starting to build is Saturday afternoon.
They play the Suns at home in what is anticipated to be the debut of all of the players acquired in the Harden trade, except for Nic Batum who is away from the team for personal reasons. The Suns are a surprising 2-3 on the season and are coming off a 132-121 home loss on Thursday night to the San Antonio Spurs.
-John West Jr./ Olde City Sports Network