Kawhi Leonard Dominant as Raptors Beat Ben Simmons, 76ers
Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points and Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry added 20 apiece as the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-107 on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid had 37 points and 13 rebounds for the 34-20 76ers, who have lost two straight. Ben Simmons contributed 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists but committed six turnovers.
The 39-16 Raps have won three of four.
Raptors Will Go as Far as Kyle Lowry Takes Them
Lowry's first-half performance was the catalyst for the Raptors' victory, as he paced the team with 17 points, six assists and a couple of steals. The Raptors led 72-55 at the break and never led by fewer than seven points in the second half.
It was an impressive evening for Lowry, who was the subject of a loaded trade rumor on Tuesday. Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated reported on Tuesday that the Memphis Grizzlies rejected the Raptors' offer of Lowry and center Jonas Valanciunas for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
Perhaps Lowry used the fuel from the trade rumor to dominate and prove the Raps front office wrong. Maybe he was amped to play in Philadelphia, where he was born and went to college nearby (Villanova). Or he could simply be healthier after suffering injuries that have kept him out for 12 games.
Whatever the reason, Toronto had little issue taking care of business because of his efforts.
Lowry fearlessly drove into the lane to create for his teammates or finish himself:
The five-time All-Star was also feeling it from deep with four first-half three-pointers:
Unsurprisingly, as Lowry goes, so go the Raptors. Entering Tuesday, Toronto was 20-1 when Lowry had a Basketball Reference game score of 13.5 or higher. They're also 19-2 when he scores 15 or more points.
The problem is the Raptors flounder when Lowry struggles, and that's been most notable against the Milwaukee Bucks. In three games against the Eastern Conference's No. 1 team, Lowry has scored just 6.3 points per game despite playing 34.0 minutes each night. He's had more turnovers (12) than field goals made (seven).
The fact that the Raps are 39-16 despite missing Leonard for 14 games and Lowry for 12 more is impressive, and that has placed Toronto just 1.5 games behind Milwaukee for the conference lead.
But the Raptors will go as far as Lowry takes them. If his postseason is akin to what he did Tuesday, then an Eastern Conference championship will be in sight. If not, then a disappointing postseason finish is in order.
Ugly Loss Proves JJ Redick's Value to 76ers
Philadelphia guard JJ Redick was out Tuesday with nausea.
The 76ers had no answers on defense for a Lowry-led offense that lit up the scoreboard for four quarters, and that was the primary reason for the defeat. Redick, a sharpshooter not known for his defense, likely wouldn't have helped much.
But the possibility exists that Philadelphia could have hung with the Raptors in a shootout if Redick was on the floor. Furthermore, the 76ers have proven to be an average team when he is out.
The 13-year veteran joined Philadelphia in 2017. When he's sat, the 76ers are 8-8. One of those victories contains an asterisk, as it came in last year's regular-season finale with Philadelphia and the Milwaukee Bucks resting starters before the playoffs.
The sharpshooting Redick is averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting. He's hitting "just" 38.4 percent of his three-pointers, but that's an impressive number for a run-of-the-mill shooter. Redick is not that, as he's hit 41.2 percent of his threes for his career. The 34-year-old is also money at the line thanks to a 90.2 percent free-throw percentage.
Rookie guard Landry Shamet, who has impressed for the most part this season, scored just six points on 2-of-8 shooting starting in Redick's place. In fact, only three 76ers had more than two field goals. As a team, the 76ers hit just seven three-pointers, or just two more than Lowry himself. The 76ers also had 18 turnovers.
Derek Bodner of The Athletic listed Redick's absence in the midst of his five first-half observations:
And Jackson Frank of the Gonzaga Bulletin noted Redick's importance in the offense:
The 76ers cut the Toronto lead to seven with 3:47 left but scored just two points for the remainder of the game. Could Redick have made a difference down the stretch? Perhaps, but from a longer-term perspective, the team clearly needs his presence to compete on nights when the defense is struggling.
Given that three teams in the top five of the Eastern Conference are top-10 in offensive efficiency, per ESPN.com, that could be an inevitability at some point in the playoffs.
The good news is that Redick should be back soon, but the next question is whether the 76ers look for more backcourt depth with the Thursday trade deadline approaching.
What's Next?
The Raptors will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. The 76ers host the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
