NBA: 76ers stave off Raptors
FILE – Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP
Joel Embiid had 25 points and 12 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 117-110 Friday night.
James Harden added 23 points and 11 assists for the 76ers, who won for the second straight game.
The 76ers (51-26) won the season series with the Raptors 3-1.
Tyrese Maxey and De’Anthony Melton each scored 13 points for Philadelphia and Paul Reed scored 11.
Maxeymum points on this play. pic.twitter.com/t5QZWpTMsy
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 1, 2023
Scottie Barnes had 29 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals for the Raptors (38-39), who had a three-game winning streak end.
Fred VanVleet scored 19 points and O.G. Anunoby added 17. Pascal Siakam had 14 points and Jakob Poeltl had 14 points with 10 rebounds. VanVleet and Siakam combined to shoot 10-for-32 from the field.
The 76ers, who led by 24 points during the second quarter, carried a 13-point edge into the final period.
VanVleet’s 3-pointer trimmed the lead to two with 5:50 to play in the fourth.
J🚫. pic.twitter.com/aJRjJshMWk
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 1, 2023
Philadelphia scored the next seven points to lead by nine with 3:31 left. Embiid then made two free throws with 2:01 left to bump the lead to 11. Barnes scored the next four points, cutting the margin to seven with 47.3 seconds remaining.
Philadelphia led 31-30 after one quarter.
Harden hit a 3-pointer to give the 76ers a 48-38 lead with 7:59 to play in the second quarter. Danuel House Jr. had a personal six-point run with a 3-pointer and three-point play to stretch the lead to 16 points with 5:45 remaining in the second.
The lead reached 20 on Embiid’s driving dunk with 3:24 to play in the first half. Harden’s 3-pointer gave the 76ers a 24-point advantage with 52.9 seconds to go.
Barnes completed the first-half scoring with a dunk, trimming Philadelphia’s lead to 77-57.
With Harden leading the way with 17 points, Philadelphia shot 76.9 percent (30-for-39) from the field in the first half.
The Raptors shot 53.3 percent (24-for-45) from the field in the first half. Barnes had 14 points.
Toronto scored the first 12 points of the third quarter.
Chris Boucher’s 3-pointer brought Toronto to within seven points with 3:40 left. Philadelphia led 99-86 after three quarters.
Toronto was without Gary Trent Jr. (back). Tobias Harris (non-COVID illness) did not play for Philadelphia.
