The Toronto Raptors made the Sixers fans boo their own team from the floor at halftime. A short tussle with the defender, OG Anunoby finally tucked the ball home.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and 10 rebounds and the Raptors dominated the 76ers 103-88 on Philly’s home court on Monday, reducing the Sixers’ lead in their top seven of seven first-round playoffs to 3-2.
While the Raptors remain at a loss away from elimination, they are also two wins to go down in history.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Thaddeus Young said. “These guys from Day 1 when I came here [in a February trade] he looked like a great group of guys who were very balanced. We go out and play as much as we can, everyone listens.
“No one is bigger than the team, so we can go out there and win basketball games, we managed to get back into that series and keep fighting every night.”
Precious Aciuwa added 17 points and headed for Sixers center Joel Embiid, who looked destroyed for long stretches. Anunnobi and Gary Trent Jr. finished 16 for the Raptors, who lacked the injured star guard Fred Van Vlyt. Scotty Barnes, in his second game back, after sitting two with a sprained ankle, scored 12 points and eight rebounds.
WATCH Raptors boost Game 6 with victory on the road over 76ers:
The Raptors forced game 6 with a win over 76ers
Pascal Siakam dropped 23 points, leading Toronto to a 103-88 victory over Philadelphia, forcing the 6th game in a series. 1:03
The series returns to Toronto for Game 6 on Thursday.
Embid, who played with a torn ligament in his right thumb, had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Sixers.
No team in NBA history has returned to win a seven-game streak after falling behind 3-0. Raptors coach Nick Nurse called it “a challenge” and said “someone has to do it”.
Two nights after their decisive 110-102 victory in Toronto to boost Game 5, the Raptors circled the Sixers for most of Monday night, making them turn 16. Philly’s only advantage was the first basket of the match. Toronto competed with a nine-point lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 14 in the second. They led in double digits for most of the third and took a 75-66 lead in the fourth.
“We just tried to move the ball from one side to the other, adjust the screens, roll, look for the mismatch and just go in for shots, cut, move the ball and play freely,” said Anunnobi.
Indifferent to the boisterous crowd on the road
Boos rained down on the Wells Fargo Arena crowd when Barnes threw a cheeky pass without looking at Achiuwa for a 13-point lead with 6:11 per game. James Harden’s triple reduced the gap to nine points by 6:11 before the game. Then, after a few minutes without a score from either team, Anunnobi broke a three-pointer for 13 breathing points with 3:52 per game.
Anunobi climbed the hoop with 2:14 to play, half-emptying the arena. The nurse emptied her bench with 1:19 to play.
“It’s very important to keep this crowd out of the game, they can get very strong, this building can shake, and you don’t want that,” said Young, who has played for the Sixers for seven seasons. “[But] we are a very resilient team and the audience didn’t really bother us.
“We controlled the game from start to finish, we knew they would do some runs, but every team makes runs, it’s about enduring these series and we did a really good job.”
Two nights earlier in Toronto, Siakam scored a high 34 points in his playoff career and the Raptors backed off to beat Philly and prevent elimination.
Potential to make history
Thirteen teams returned from a 3-1 deficit, and Sixers coach Doc Rivers was at the losing end of three. Nothing seems beyond the scope of the Raptors, which has suffered many upheavals over the past two seasons, including playing outside of Tampa, Florida, last season due to restrictions on the COVID-19 border.
VanVleet, meanwhile, confirmed in a shooting Monday morning that he will not play due to a strained left femoral flexor he suffered in the first half of Game 4. The veteran guard, who has been battling knee injuries all season, said his body was “patted”. “He wasn’t sure if he would be cured enough to play Game 6.
Siakam said it’s hard to play without VanVleet.
“Obviously he’s a big part of what we do as a team and we definitely need him there,” he said. “I think it was just the story of the season for us. We had a lot of guys on and off and we always understand that. Everyone enters. Boys are getting more active. We have a good stable match plan with the guys coming from the bench and executing the game plan and everyone is raising their level a little bit. “
The Raptors started strong, forcing the Sixers to make 10 turns in the first quarter. Trent Jr. had nine points in the frame to take the lead, and his kick back brought the Raptors nine less than five minutes into the game. The Sixers pulled to a 10-2 point, which included the unfortunate inclusion of Achiuwa in Philly’s net as he and Barnes climbed to grab a rebound. The Raptors led 29-27 to start second.
Toronto opened the second with a 12-0 series that included a dribble behind Barnes, the new rookie of the year in the NBA, in a quick break. Siakam’s finger roll brought Toronto 14 points. The closest to the Sixers in the quarter was six points, and the Raptors went into the half with 54-41. The dissatisfied crowd of Sixers with 20 517 fans booed the team.
The Sixers won games 1 and 2 with 35 points combined, after which Embiid hit a three-pointer less than a second after overtime in Game 3.
Game 7 will return to Philadelphia on Saturday if necessary.
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