Sixers

Behind strong performances from Tyrese Maxey, James Harden and Joel Embiid, the Sixers dominated the Toronto Raptors to close out the series and advance to ...

Maxey was key last year in the Sixers beating the Hawks on the road to force Game 7, and he thrived Thursday in his second NBA Game 6. Embiid had a wide smile and talked some trash following an elbow jumper early in the fourth quarter. When a Siakam hoop lifted Toronto to a three-point lead early in the third, Harris and Maxey replied with consecutive threes. He nailed two more threes during a 17-0 run that extended the Sixers' advantage to 20 points. It was reasonable to think, with Embiid playing through a torn ligament in his right thumb and the Sixers dismal on both ends in Game 5, that the Raptors were not badly positioned be the first NBA team to ever win a series after trailing 3-0. A well-known zone worry surfaced in the first half, too, as the Raptors snagged 10 of the game's 11 offensive rebounds before intermission. It made sense to consider Embiid's physical freshness at this stage of a grueling series, as well as to force the Raptors to handle rotations they might not have expected. Their lapses contributed to a huge opening half for Boucher off the bench (19 points, nine rebounds). Harden's insistence on attacking the paint set the right tone, showing losses in Games 4 and 5 didn't mean the Sixers were destined to wilt. When the big man checked back in, he did well to work hard (and early) for catches at the nail and in the paint. Within the first six minutes, the 32-year-old slammed home a dunk, assisted an Embiid layup, drew four free throws and darted in for a fast-break hoop. Following a Harris layup that gave the Sixers an 18-15 lead, Embiid stepped in to take a charge on Precious Achiuwa.

After putting themselves in a position to sweep the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers fell into a bit of ...

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with a game-high of 33 points in 35 minutes. By the time the Sixers and the Raptors entered the fourth quarter, Philadelphia had a notable 99-78 lead. With the series down to 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Toronto, the Sixers left many fans uneasy as a loss on Thursday night would force a Game 7.

Another gear? The Sixers showed what Doc Rivers was talking about Thursday night, closing out the Raptors with a 132-97 Game 6 win at Scotiabank Arena.

Maxey was key last year in the Sixers beating the Hawks on the road to force Game 7, and he thrived Thursday in his second NBA Game 6. Embiid had a wide smile and talked some trash following an elbow jumper early in the fourth quarter. When a Siakam hoop cut the Sixers' lead to three points early in the third, Harris and Maxey replied with consecutive threes. He nailed two more threes during a 17-0 run that extended the Sixers' advantage to 20 points. It was reasonable to think, with Embiid playing through a torn ligament in his right thumb and the Sixers dismal on both ends in Game 5, that the Raptors were not badly positioned to be the first NBA team to ever win a series after trailing 3-0. A well-known zone worry surfaced in the first half, too, as the Raptors snagged 10 of the game's 11 offensive rebounds before intermission. It made sense to consider Embiid's physical freshness at this stage of a grueling series, as well as to force the Raptors to handle rotations they might not have expected. Their lapses contributed to a huge opening half for Boucher off the bench (19 points, nine rebounds). With Matisse Thybulle ineligible to play in Toronto because he's not fully vaccinated, the Sixers played nine men before garbage time. Harden's insistence on attacking the paint set the right tone, showing losses in Games 4 and 5 didn't mean the Sixers were destined to wilt. Within the first six minutes, the 32-year-old slammed home a dunk, assisted an Embiid layup, drew four free throws and darted in for a fast-break hoop. When the big man checked back in, he did well to work hard (and early) for catches at the nail and in the paint.