Joel Embiid Erupts for 33 and 10 as 76ers Crush Kawhi Leonard, Raptors in Game 3
The Philadelphia 76ers have hit their stride against the Toronto Raptors, taking a 2-1 series lead after an impressive 116-95 victory in front of a raucous crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.
After being picked apart in Game 1, the Sixers have responded with aplomb. Their defense held Toronto to 89 points in Game 2, allowing them to return home with a chance to take control of the series.
This time, Philadelphia's offense was able to match its defensive intensity. Joel Embiid had his best game of the postseason with 33 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three assists. Jimmy Butler contributed 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Kawhi Leonard did his best to carry the Raptors on the road. He finished with 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting. Pascal Siakam rebounded from a difficult Game 2, adding 20 points.
Red-Hot Sixers Have Perfect Formula to Reach NBA Finals
There's a theory in Major League Baseball that some teams are better equipped for a deep playoff run than a 162-game regular season because of how differently the games are managed. Starting pitchers will be used on short rest, and relievers will stay in longer than they would for a random August outing.
The NBA postseason tends to work the same way, with starters routinely taking on more minutes and easing the burden on the reserves.
No team better represents the different dynamics of these playoffs than the Philadelphia 76ers. After a season filled with worries about what would happen when head coach Brett Brown had to call upon his bench, a funny thing happened.
The Sixers have hit their stride because their star power is overwhelming the Raptors.
Game 2 was ugly for both teams, but Philadelphia succeeded by making Embiid the primary defender against Siakam. Toronto's breakout star went from scoring 29 points on 15 attempts in Game 1 to 21 points on 25 attempts the next game.
Returning home showcased the best of both worlds for the 76ers. The starting five accounted for 93 of the team's 116 points.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton threw out a comparison for this Philadelphia team that should terrify the rest of the Eastern Conference:
If Embiid's knee is still giving him problems, you'd never know it based on his performance Thursday night.
After he attempted just 12 shots in Game 1, Butler has since taken a more proactive approach in the offense. He dropped 30 points in Game 2 and did a little bit of everything Thursday.
Sixers general manager Elton Brand essentially emptied out his bench during the regular season to acquire Butler and Harris. Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet are all capable of contributing to a playoff team.
But the playoffs aren't about having the deepest team. Stars are what teams need to win a championship. Embiid, Simmons, Butler and Harris needed time to build their chemistry together, but everything is coming together at the right time.
It helps that Philadelphia's much-maligned bench has shown up in the past two games. James Ennis III, Greg Monroe and Mike Scott outscored Toronto's reserves 19-15 in Game 3.
But that vaunted starting five is the reason the Sixers have taken control of this series. Unless the Raptors can find a way to contain that group, it won't matter that Brown is only using an eight-man rotation.
Raptors Need Kyle Lowry to Find All-Star Form to Save Dream Season
On Thursday, Toronto tried to ride the same formula it used in a Game 1 victory. Leonard and Siakam were dominant on the offensive end with 53 combined points on 20-of-37 shooting.
It's a good idea in theory, but the problem is no one else showed up for the Raptors in Game 3. Kyle Lowry, in particular, remains a source of frustration in the playoffs. He finished with seven points, five rebounds and five assists on 2-of-10 shooting against Philadelphia's defense.
Lowry's minus-28 was the worst of any player on the floor Thursday night.
This is nothing new for the Raptors. In their opening-round series against the Orlando Magic, Lowry went scoreless in Game 1 and had two other outings in which he shot 40 percent or worse.
Toronto has been able to get away with Lowry's inconsistent playoff showings to this point because Leonard and Siakam are special talents. The spotlight is unfortunately back on the five-time All-Star after a difficult game Thursday.
Lowry is especially important for the remainder of this series against Philadelphia because the Raptors not named Siakam or Leonard are struggling to put the ball in the basket.
The postseason is about stars playing up to their full potential and giving their teams the best chance to win. Lowry is being paid like an elite point guard, but his failure in Game 3 is the latest frustrating chapter in the book that is his career.
Depth was supposed to be the biggest advantage Toronto had in this series. Instead, Raptors starters outside of Leonard and Siakam combined to go 9-of-25. It didn't help that Fred VanVleet had just one point and missed all seven of his field-goal attempts in 21 minutes.
If the Raptors are going to fulfill the promise they showed with an impressive regular season, Lowry has to give more than he has.
As things stand, they're facing the possibility of another long offseason wondering what went wrong in the playoffs.
What's Next?
The Raptors and 76ers will play Game 4 of their series on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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