If you would have told me before this game that Embiid and Harden would shoot a combined 11/32 from the field, I would almost certainly believe the Sixers would lose that game. Sixers vs Raptors game 1 ended with a dominating 130-111 win over the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers role players dominated this game led by 38 points from 21 year old sophomore phenom Tyrese Maxey, and 26 from Tobias Harris. The Sixers big 4 in Maxey, Embiid, Harden, and Harris all played 37 plus minutes and were scoring in bunches as Harden did a masterful job running the offense with a dazzling 14 assists. The amount of attention Joel Embiid garners in the post demands a double team, and when role players hit catch and shoot threes consistently, the Sixers are a monstrous offensive team. The Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam's 24 points and OG Anunoby's 20. Fred Vanvleet had a great first quarter, but didn't score over five points in the next three quarters. Scottie Barnes was off to a good start in his first ever playoff game as a rookie with 15, 10, and 8, but unfortunately went down after Embiid inadvertently stepped on his ankle. The Sixers displayed what their team can look like when they play to their potential and ride the play of their big four. The biggest takeaway from this game however has to be the revelation of Tyrese Maxey being one of the best playoff performers in the league. If Tyrese can continue to score the ball and put significant pressure on the opposing defense, that adds a whole new dynamic to Philadelphias offensive potency. Harden might not need to score 30 points per game and can play more the role of an elite facilitator. Add that with Embiid demanding double teams and Tobias Harris hitting open threes, and all of a sudden the Sixers offense can be one of the best in the modern NBA. This game was extremely physical and chippy as Nick Nurse threw a bunch of long, strong forwards to disrupt Embiid's flow. Embiid wasn't able to score at will, but he took advantage of the Raptors going small and dominated on the offensive glass with four offensive rebounds and fifteen total. The Sixers started the series as well as anyone could have hoped for. The one minor concern I took away form this game is the miscommunications defensively and the defensive effort in general at points in the game. The Sixers can lock up when they need to though, from Embiid, to Tobias, Thybulle, to even Danny Green, the Sixers have athletic, long, smart veteran defenders who can lock up when need be. The Sixers have a chance to put a strangle hold on this series in game two. With the status of Scottie Barnes in question going forward, the Sixers going
up 2-0 heading back to Toronto is a real possibility.
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