Kyle Lowry Drops 19 as Raptors Edge Past 76ers After Joel Embiid's Hand Injury

The Toronto Raptors moved to 6-1 since the NBA's restart with a 125-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Stanley Johnson's putback jumper with 6.9 seconds left gave the Raps a 123-121 lead. The 76ers turned the ball over on the other end, and Toronto forward Paul Watson iced the game with two free throws.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with a sprained left ankle, left in the first half after being hit on his right hand. Per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Serena Winters, X-rays were negative.

The matchup had no bearing on the two teams' playoff positions, and both teams turned to their benches by the end of the game. 

The Raptors have earned the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed, and the Philadelphia 76ers have finished sixth in the East.

Notable Performances

Raptors G Kyle Lowry: 19 points, 3 assists, 2 steals

Raptors F Chris Boucher: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks

Raptors F Pascal Siakam: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists

76ers F Tobias Harris: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

76ers G Furkan Korkmaz: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

76ers G Raul Neto: 17 points, 5 assists

Raptors Bench Shows Fire, Resolve at Game's End

The Raptors treated this game as a glorified warmup before their postseason begins next week. The starters began the game but did not finish as players such as Chris Boucher, Dewan Hernandez and Matt Thomas took center stage.

But no one was going through the motions in the fourth quarter as both teams fought for the win until the final seconds.

Toronto emerged victorious after the offense caught fire near the end of the fourth with a 24-10 run to close the game. It was a total team effort as no individual Raptor scored more than six during that span.

Most notably, the Raptors bench was completely engaged, with the starters cheering their teammates as if it was Game 7 of a playoff series:

They flew off the court to congratulate their teammates after Johnson's go-ahead bucket. Assistant coach Adrian Griffin, whom head coach Nick Nurse allowed to call the shots in this game, earned his first career win.

Norman Powell praised Griffin's effort after the game, giving him credit for the victory:

The Raptors who finished the game likely won't be part of the playoff rotation for any meaningful minutes, but their game-ending effort symbolized this team's season.

They have overcome the loss of their leading scorer and defending NBA Finals MVP in Kawhi Leonard and managed to traverse through a series of longer-term injuries to numerous starters to finish second in the Eastern Conference, where they landed last year after the regular season.

Whether this year's second-place finish results in a back-to-back championship is to be determined, but Toronto looks ready to rock for the playoffs.

Encouraging First Half a Positive Sign Heading Into Playoffs

Both teams played their starters in the first half, and the 76ers were clearly the better team for those 24 minutes.

It's a welcome sight for a 76ers squad that has struggled on the NBA's Disney World campus with a 3-4 mark. In addition, Philadelphia must forge ahead with Ben Simmons, who left Florida to have left knee surgery to remove a loose body.

But the 76ers figured out how to operate their offense against a tough Raps defense in spite of their obstacles, and Tobias Harris played a key role.

Harris will need to assume more of an offensive load in Simmons' absence. That was no problem Wednesday, as he finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, six rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes.

The 76ers' passing was on point, as the starters also combined for 15 assists with five each from Harris, Shake Milton and Al Horford, who has stepped into the starting lineup for Simmons.

Harris found an open Matisse Thybulle on the break:

Milton linked up with Horford down low:

And roles were reversed for this Milton three-pointer:

Simmons has done an excellent job as a facilitator, and the Sixers must fill that role in the aggregate with him out. That wasn't a problem Wednesday, but the question is whether the 76ers can carry over their performance into the playoffs against a tough Boston Celtics team that awaits them in the first round.

What's Next?

The Raptors will close their regular season with a Friday matchup against the Denver Nuggets at 1:30 p.m. ET. They'll face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round beginning either Monday or Tuesday.

The 76ers' regular season will end against the Houston Rockets on Friday at 9 p.m. They'll match up with the Boston Celtics in the first round starting Monday or Tuesday.