Joel Embiid, James Harden and the rest of the healthy Sixers rotation pounce on the undermanned Raptors for a commanding NBA first round playoff series lead.
Joel Embiid had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Toronto Raptors, 112-97, to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference opening round playoff series on Monday, April 18 .
It was the 100th career playoff win for head coach Doc Rivers. Game 3 will be played Wednesday, April 20 in Toronto. The Raptors played without top rookie Scottie Barnes, who suffered an ankle injury in Game 1 when Embiid landed on him. The Sixers went ahead 59-46 when Harden drove to the basket and scored with 5:09 left in the second quarter.Philadelphia then surged to a 67-52 lead heading into the locker room thanks in large part to Embiid’s 19 points. All 19 came in the first quarter.The Sixers came out aggressive on both ends of the court to begin the third and opened a 19-point advantage after dunks by Embiid and Harris. Philadelphia held a 95-71 lead at the end of the third.