Player grades: Joel Embiid, Sixers overcome physical Raptors at home

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the Toronto Raptors into the Wells Fargo Center on Monday night to continue their 7-game homestand and they looked to remain perfect during this stretch. The Raptors, losers of five straight entering the night, gave the Sixers some trouble all night, but Philadelphia just had more.

Joel Embiid had another big night on the offensive end going for 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Sixers were able to come away with a 104-101 win in overtime for their fifth straight victory. The Raptors rallied from a 14-point deficit and took a lead in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers were then able to rally and pick up the win.

James Harden had 14 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, Tobias Harris added 21 points, and De’Anthony Melton had eight and seven rebounds. Danuel House Jr. had nine off the bench and Montrezl Harrell had seven.

Here are the player grades following the win:

This was a good passing game for The Beard. He started off by looking to get his teammates involved and taking what the defense gave him. He had a well-rounded game as he did a little bit of everything on the floor and he appeared to have some burst back a bit when going to the basket. With that being said, the Sixers could have used more offense from Harden when Toronto rallied and took the lead.

It was a miserable night shooting the ball for Melton as he looked like he was rushing things on that end. He does get points for bothering the hell out of Fred VanVleet who couldn’t get a clean look all night. Melton then drilled a big triple in the fourth to help Philadelphia get back into it, but it was just an overall tough night on the offensive end.

After missing a game due to back pain, Harris looked strong on offense to start as he finished at the basket and he then drilled a couple of triples off a catch-and-shoot situation. The continued ascension of Harris as a legitimate catch-and-shoot threat is going to give the opposition headaches trying to defend this Sixers team. He needs to take more shots than he did on this night.

There are a handful of times when Tucker just passes up open looks on the offensive end and it’s so confusing. He is a capable offensive player so when he does get those shots, he has to take them. He passed up an open layup early in this one and he also had an open corner triple that he passed up. When he did let one fly in the second quarter, it was all net. He has to trust himself more. Other than that, he did normal Tucker things and he created open looks for his teammates just off of hustle.

This was a great defensive start for Embiid. He was terrific protecting the paint and able to cause Toronto many problems every time they went to the basket. Then, offensively, the Raptors sent a swarm of defenders toward him every chance, but he did a good job of understanding when to attack and when to pass off. He has seen enough of Toronto to understand how they want to defend him every time he has the ball. A few times, the Raptors confused him and got under his skin, but for the most part, he played well in this one.

It was a terrific start for House Jr. as he drilled a corner triple to get his night started. He then finished a tough layup in transition while being fouled to convert an And-1 opportunity before he drilled another corner 3 under duress. After a slow start to the season, he seems like he is beginning to find his rhythm in order to help this team succeed.

It was an active offensive night for Harrell. He is so good at rolling to the basket of a screen and he has soft hands which allows him to make catches in traffic and be able to finish up and around defenders. His energy is always infectious when he enters the game. He did have his struggles on the defensive end, however, and that played a part in this one.

The Minivan started his night off nicely when he drilled a 3-pointer in semi-transition in order to attract attention from Toronto’s defense. Other than that, Niang just had a tough night overall as he had a tough time defensively and he also picked up a technical foul.

It was a frustrating start for Milton as he had a tough time finishing at the rim and he wasn’t getting the foul calls he thought he deserved. On top of that, he didn’t have the greatest night on the defensive end which led to an overall tough night for him. He did have some nice passes to get his teammates involved, though.

After missing his first 3-point attempt, Thybulle started the second quarter by drilling a pull-up triple which is a terrific sign. The 3-point shot is always something that gets looked at with him when it comes to his offense. He did bring it on the defensive end, as usual, and he had a solid night.