Quick Reaction: Raptors 106, 76ers 103

A great start to the game by Agbaji as he made both his shots from the floor and played solid defence. His second quarter was a dip of performance though as he had a turnover and missed a shot at the rim. Ochai came alive in the third quarter again playing some good defence and making two more shots just like in the first quarter. Agbaji struggled in the even number quarters on the offensive end, but he was playing way more minutes in the first and third quarters. He also played good defence tonight so it was another successful start for the second-year Raptor.

Barnes started off very aggressively tonight with five shots in the opening twelve minutes and four trips to the foul line. The second quarter was slower due to him not being out there as much but he did make his first three-pointer in the dying minutes of the first half. Scottie was re-energized after halftime as he came out aggressive yet again early in the third quarter. The scoring was great but the best part of Scottie’s game tonight was his rim protection which has been superb lately.

Mogbo got the night going with a slam at the rim during a pick-and-roll with teammate Immanuel Quickley. He played some phenomenal defence early on too but unfortunately, he was barely out there in the second quarter due to Orlando Robinson and Ulrich Chomche both being in the rotation. He got yet another short leash at the start of the second half as he was only out there for around six minutes, though to be fair he wasn’t too effective during the third quarter. He closed the game for Toronto but after an amazing start, all his momentum was gone after the first quarter.

Dick started off 0 for 3 from the field in the first quarter and I’m noticing that slow starts are becoming a trend with the sophomore. Gradey finally got on the scoring board late in the second quarter with his fifth shot attempt of the night. Dick’s really been struggling with the three ball over the last few weeks and tonight was no different as his first make beyond the arc came late in the third quarter. He made a beautiful back door cut though and finished through contact with a nice double-clutch reverse layup late in the third quarter. After a rough start beyond the arc he made three in the second half and they were big-time threes in tight moments. A bad start but a great finish.

Quickley started off the night with some great playmaking and ended the first quarter with five straight points late in the final minutes when the 76ers were getting close to Toronto. Quickley started the second half with some huge shots, none bigger than his deep three midway through the third quarter. He’s missed a huge chunk of this season but it looks like he’s finally off the minutes restriction and has strung together two 20+ point outings consecutively.

Shead had some first-quarter minutes but his most notable moment came in the second quarter when he took a transition charge on a driving Kelly Oubre. After a quiet first half, Shead was able to end his first half with positive momentum as he added four points to his name. The rookie had a few of his assists ruined by Orlando Robinson as he fumbled two great passes late in the third quarter. Due to the turnovers and missed assists it could’ve been a much better night on the box score.

Boucher got a long run in the first half and wasn’t able to get on the scoring board but he did some good work on the glass. His second half was the exact same replica of his first-half performance. He did well on the glass but he wasn’t able to make a shot tonight.

Robinson had an uneventful first half but his most notable moment was a lowlight as Guerschon Yabusele ripped a rebound away from him after a missed free throw from Philadelphia midway through the second quarter. The big man’s highlight came late in the third quarter when he set up a cutting Gradey Dick with a nice pass. He followed it up with a ferocious slam at the rim in the ensuing possession. Had he not fumbled some Shead dimes in the third quarter, this could’ve been a great performance for the big man.

Walter got some run in the first quarter but his first made field goal came early in the second quarter through contact down low. He followed up his first points by getting blocked at the rim in the following possession and then missing the follow-up layup attempt that was a clean look. A lot of his misses were at the rim tonight and he should’ve made at least two more of them. Walter made a humongous three-ball midway through the fourth quarter though and finished his night on a positive, but it was still a subpar performance.

Surprising second-quarter minutes for Chomche as Orlando Robinson was a part of the rotation and checked into the game even before the rookie. He had a good look at the rim early in the second quarter that he should’ve made. Chomche’s moments in the first half came in the last minute of the second quarter as he had two possessions on defence where he defended Toronto’s rim valiantly. He got a few more minutes in the second half and provided some decent picks and played good defence on Joel Embiid.

Battle entered the game in the second quarter and played a solid first half as he contributed on both sides of the game. Battle got some fourth-quarter minutes and forced a three-ball on a contested look but he made up for it midway through the quarter taking a charge on the defensive end.

Not a fan of running three centers especially when one is playing so well and his minutes are being eaten at for no reason. Mogbo was off to a flying start, Robinson got the first crack at the backup role tonight and didn’t provide much which gave Chomche a chance. This would all be fine if Robinson was eliminated from the rotation but he was back in the game right after Chomche and before the starting big man Jonathan Mogbo. Outside of that, Rajakovic has done a much better job handling the rotations when Toronto’s got injuries as there are fewer names to consider and tonight he didn’t have a chance to call a challenge due to no questionable calls against Toronto.