Player grades: Joel Embiid, Sixers eliminate Raptors with Game 6 road win

TORONTO–The Philadelphia 76ers wanted to get rid of the pesky Toronto Raptors and not give them any more life in this series. The Sixers were once up 3-0 before the Raptors won two in a row to make it a series as they faced insurmountable odds. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 hole and won a series.

The Sixers made sure that they were not the first one to do so as they came out looking sharp from the beginning in this one as they were able to build a lead and sustain it. Even when the Raptors briefly took the lead, the Sixers were able to buckle down and really get back to the team that won the first two games of this series easily. Philadelphia went on to win it 132-97 to advance to Round 2 and set up a date with the Miami Heat.

Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 33 points and 10 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and eight assists, James Harden had 22 and 15 assists with six rebounds, and Danny Green had 12 points. Tobias Harris also added 19 and 11 rebounds in this one.

Here are the player grades from the series-clincher:

James Harden: A

Harden must’ve heard all of the criticisms thrown out since Game 5. He was aggressive from the jump in this one with a vicious slam in the half-court and he was constantly getting into the paint and drawing fouls. It was something not necessarily seen from him during his Sixers tenure and especially not this series. He shot the ball pretty well while also getting to the free-throw line and getting him going early and setting the tone was a big help on the offensive end.

Tyrese Maxey: A

The key for Maxey against a big Raptors team is getting him downhill quickly and using his speed to be able to get down the floor before Toronto does. To do that, the Sixers have to be able to force turnovers and push the pace and they did so a bit early. They also set screens for him in the half-court offense to give him some freedom at the basket. Once he saw some baskets fall, he began to get the 3-point shot going and he was playing with a swagger and a confidence that had been missing since Game 2.

Story continues

Danny Green: A

Green did his job as somebody who spaces the floor for the offense as he attracted a lot of attention from Toronto. He knocked down his corner triples, too which is always a good sign for the offense. That is the spot where he can be most effective. His 3-point shooting was huge in this one as the Sixers found their groove on the offensive end.

Tobias Harris: B-

The guy is just so consistent. Harris knocked down a triple in the opening minutes, played very good defense again, and he was active on the glass. Just really doing everything the Sixers ask of him out on the floor. He forced Pascal Siakam into some tough shots, but he just made a majority of them. The only big issues were the fouls he committed which limited his time out on the floor.

Joel Embiid: A-

It looked like the thumb was bothering Embiid to start the game. He committed a few turnovers as the Raptors once again came swarming with their army of big defenders with their wingspans and he had a tough time responding to start. After settling for contested triples at the start of this game, the big fella was then getting into the paint and using his 7-foot frame to rise up over the Raptors and he got back to being himself a bit. He was much more efficient in this one than in Games 4 and 5. His head seemed to be more in it on the offensive end, although his defense wasn’t up to his usual standards.

Georges Niang: D+

Niang had a tough start defensively as he lost Chris Boucher a couple of times on back door cuts with the Sixers in a zone. He is not a particularly fast guy, to begin with, but it looks like the knee injury toward the end of the regular season is bothering him a bit. He gets points for knocking down a couple of triples in the second half.

Paul Reed: B

The Sixers turned to Reed a little earlier than usual in this one and he scored off a pick-and-roll to start his stint. He then finished a 3-point play and made life tough for Toronto on the defensive end. This was a solid game for him following a disastrous Game 5.

Shake Milton: B

An aggressive Milton is always the best Milton. He has the length and the physicality to be able to get into the paint and finish over defenders. He had a good start in that respect when he was able to finish a tough floater to start his night.

Furkan Korkmaz: Incomplete

With Matisse Thybulle ineligible to play in this one, the Sixers turned to Korkmaz this time to replace him. This was his first real minutes in this series and he didn’t do much with his first stint. The Raptors are a tough matchup for somebody like him due to their size and athleticism. He only played three minutes in the first half.

1

1