Instant Observations: 76ers Drop Fourth Straight Game in Disastrous Fashion Against Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers dropped yet another contest, falling to the undermanned Toronto Raptors 106-103 on Tuesday night.

Joel Embiid finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Jared Butler totaled 15 points, four rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block.

The Sixers were without Jared McCain (left knee meniscus surgery), Eric Gordon (right wrist sprain) and Kyle Lowry (right hip injury management). Head coach Nick Nurse said before the game, via PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson, Lowry is not day-to-day and the issue is managing his hip pain moving forward.

The Raptors were led by Scottie Barnes, who finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Immanuel Quickley totaled 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with three rebounds and five assists.

Brandon Ingram (left ankle sprain), RJ Barrett (return to competition reconditioning), Jakob Poeltl (right hip pointer) and P.J. Tucker (not with the team) were out of the lineup for Toronto.

The Sixers next take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Here are some instant observations from the loss to the Raptors:

Likes:

– Embiid was primed to have a good game against a Raptors team playing without its starting center. He did not disappoint, consistently using his combination of size and finesse to attack into the paint. His aggressiveness led to a ton of trips to the free-throw line. The big fella shot 8-of-9 from the charity stripe in the first half alone. The Sixers ran a large amount of their offense through Embiid at the top of the key. Toronto was unable to stop him once he started driving to the basket and getting his momentum going downhill.

While Embiid’s scoring production dipped in the second half, he found other ways to impact the game. He generally did a good job leveraging the extra attention thrown his direction by finding open teammates. In addition to his passing, Embiid also leaned into crashing the glass, leading to him grabbing 10 rebounds in the second half alone. However, one bad decision (more on that below) ultimately undid all of the positives from his performance overall.

Embiid survived an injury scare late in the first half. He fell hard on his arm after getting tied up going for a loose ball. Despite the scary-looking play, Embiid did not end up missing any game action.

– Both of the Sixers’ trade deadline acquisitions impressed against the Raptors. Quentin Grimes continued to make an impact through spacing the floor and playing tight perimeter defense. He also flashed some playmaking chops, making multiple beautiful passes on drive and kicks. His shooting efficiency since coming over to the Sixers has not been there yet, and he is still managing to produce. It is clear he provides a lot of skills the Sixers are in desperate need of. A strong case can be made for Grimes to have a spot in the starting lineup.

Butler’s versatility shined as he found success playing both on and away from the ball. He effectively sliced through Toronto’s defense at ease, getting to the rim and showcasing his strong finishing ability. For someone standing at just 6-foot-3, Butler is surprisingly effective attacking the basket. He is currently playing on a two-way contract, although a standard contract is in his future if he continues to play at this high of a level.

Regardless of their overall numbers, the additions of Grimes and Butler give the Sixers a ton of added versatility. After getting off to a slow start, the Sixers battled back into the game behind a lineup with Grimes, Butler and Embiid on the floor. They outscored Toronto 18-9 in the first 6:41 of the second quarter. Butler consistently played with pace, pushing the ball up the floor and attacking before the Raptors’ defense could set up.

fast break Butler. pic.twitter.com/k8fXrMIVYV

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 12, 2025

In addition to playing with pace, both Grimes and Butler are capable of attacking off the dribble. Grimes had a highlight reel dunk after driving right through the heart of Toronto’s defense in the second quarter. The Sixers should be able to find a lot of success in lineups that surround Embiid with capable shot creators like Grimes and Butler. It is remarkable, and long past due, to see the Sixers add more competent ball handlers in their guard rotation.

– Oubre deserves a ton of credit for the way he is playing this season. Regardless of everything else that has been going on this season, his effort on both ends of the floor has never changed. He always hits the glass hard and is a lock for in the ballpark of 15 points and seven or eight rebounds on a nightly basis.

For the first several years of his career, Oubre earned the reputation of being an inefficient score-first player. Ever since joining the Sixers last season, he has completely bought into his role as a high-energy player who focuses on playing solid defense and crashing the boards. On the offensive end of the floor, Oubre does most of his damage on drives to the basket. The results have been a career-high in field goal percentage (46.0) heading into this matchup against the Raptors. His play against Toronto was a perfect encapsulation of the player Oubre has become since coming to Philadelphia.

Dislikes:

– Tyrese Maxey came into this matchup on a heater, scoring 25-plus points in each of his past 18 games. His streak came to an end against Toronto as he finished with five points on 1-of-9 shooting to go with five rebounds and three assists. This was a highly uncharacteristic game for Maxey. He never found his rhythm and played a backseat to Embiid and everyone else on the roster. It took a pair of free throws with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter for Maxey to get in the scoring column. It was not as if he was putting up a ton of shots and having them not fall. Maxey just spent the entire game playing passively, which is especially odd considering how hot he was coming into this contest.

– Another game, another ineffective performance from Paul George. These types of games have been commonplace for George this season. He seems content to be a passenger of the Sixers’ offense rather than making any consistent attempt at grabbing the steering wheel. George finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two assists.

– Put aside Embiid’s solid performance overall. His decision making on this play in the final 30 seconds of a tight game is incomprehensible.

Can’t even fault the crowd for the boo’s raining down after this play… pic.twitter.com/1wc9nZFwkO

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 12, 2025

To add insult to injury, the possession ultimately resulted in Embiid turning the ball over. A golden opportunity to take a one-point lead with around 10 seconds remaining somehow resulted in a shot not even getting put up. The nightmare season continues for the Sixers.

– The Sixers, at full strength, lost to an undermanned and flat out bad Raptors team. Philadelphia shot 40.7% from the field and 23.7% from 3-point range. They played with no urgency, which is inexcusable for a team currently sitting at 20-33. Performances like this can no longer be written off either as they have happened far too often this season. They are playing like an unserious team with no care in the world for turning their season around.