Raptors

Three years after the Raptors last played post-season basketball at home, nobody on this side of the border wants to see Toronto's run end yet.

And if not for Joel Embiid’s clutch three-pointer to win Game 3, the Raptors would be in the position to close out the series in Game 6. “Next game will be as good as any for them to start going in.” “If they would have won the game, I bet they would have said a lot of stuff. Rivers is the only coach to have given up three 3-1 leads. While they still trail 3-2, the pendulum seems to swinging in Toronto’s favour. “I feel like a lot of their fans (behind the) bench, they were talking reckless, to be honest with you,” Boucher said.

After winning two games in a row to cut the series deficit to 3-2, the Raptors' season came to an end with a 132-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 ...

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors fell short in their bid for an historic NBA playoff comeback. Chris Boucher had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Pascal Siakam ...

Harden, who had just 15 points in Game 5, had 10 in the quarter, and the Sixers led by seven a couple of times. With their win in Philly on Monday, the Raptors became the 14th team -- and first since Milwaukee in 2015 -- to force a Game 6 after trailing 3-0. Green had four three-pointers and 12 points in the quarter as the Sixers battled back, and led 62-61 at halftime. Philly shot 40 per cent from long distance and a whopping 58 per cent from the field. Siakam fouled out of the game with 2:14 to play, and received a standing ovation as he left the game. "He was cutting and flying around and rebounding, I think he had six offensive rebounds by himself in the first half. The visitors outscored Toronto 37-17 in the quarter, and led 99-78 to start the fourth. The Raptors struggled from long distance all series. And when Tobias Harris threw down a dunk with 4:34 to play, the basket put Philly up by 27 points. "You've just got to be truly resilient through the process. Joel Embiid, the seven-foot centre Raptors fans love to hate, had 33 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, who won the series 4-2. Coming off a dominant 103-88 win on Monday, the Raptors kept it within seven points for the first half despite horrible shooting.

He dished early and pushed for his teammates in the half court. He remained a menace when doubling Embiid. Really heads-up basketball in the pick and roll, ...

It’s been a hell of a fun ride. Maybe Toronto could have dug out of the 12-point hole in the early third, but the crowd didn’t believe in it. - The defense in the first and third quarters was loooooose. No closing the gaps, late help, very little help around the rim. A. Brooks2 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- S. Mykhailiuk2 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- M. Flynn2 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- But then he started attacking set defenses, and the result wasn’t ideal. Nice doubling on Embiid, but he was not nearly as effective as the primary on Embiid. Didn’t score, but did a lot else. Tough game, but he had a great season, and it was an almost impossible job. In the second half, the Sixers really laid back off of him and made him a jump shooter, and he did some good, but mostly it killed Toronto’s offense. In the second half, the Sixers gave him maximal attention, and he made the right passes, but his teammates just didn’t hit anything.

The Toronto Raptors fell short in their bid for an historic NBA playoff comeback. Chris Boucher had 25 points ...

As has been the case all series, Philadelphia won the third quarter. This time it spelled the end of the Raptors' historic comeback and, ultimately, ...

Game 6 was no different as Harden and Maxey re-established the assertiveness that fuelled Philadelphia’s hot start to the game. OG Anunoby only scored five points after sitting out a large portion of the first half due to foul trouble. Many words will be written about this magical season, so make sure to keep checking this site as we recap the successful season that was. Nightmare Q for the Raptors, who shot 5-19 FG/2-11 3P and were outscored 37-17 in the 3rd. The players on the court made sure to reciprocate by scoring in seven of their first 10 field goal attempts. As has been the case in every game this series, the Sixers outscored the Raptors in the third quarter. In the second quarter, Pascal Siakam appeared to be on his way to another dominant performance, attacking Harden and Harris relentlessly, turning a first-quarter deficit into a second-quarter lead. The Thad Young — Chris Boucher connection continued to thrive. The second quarter started similarly to the first quarter, with the Raptors attacking with purpose, scoring 17 in the first five minutes. For Philadelphia, Harden got the memo and attacked the basket with purpose. What kept the Raptors from getting win number 3 in this series was the third quarter. Philadelphia put the pedal to the metal and never let up, winning the quarter 37-17.

Get a recap of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors basketball game.

The Raptors shot 12 for 17 in the first quarter, making 5 of 19 after their hot start. … Embiid went 9 for 10 at the free throw line, while Harden was 6 for 6. He did the same while heading to the bench for a fourth quarter timeout. “That was one of the toughest series I’ve played in just because of their switching and their athleticism, their length,” Harden said about Toronto’s lineup. Philadelphia took a 99-78 lead to the fourth. Toronto’s Precious Achiuwa had 17 points in Game 5 but didn’t score Thursday until making a free throw in the fourth quarter. … Rivers was called for a technical foul in the fourth for arguing that Harden had been fouled on a three-point basket. “We just have to go back and learn from it.” They just mess up the game.” The Raptors struggled from 3-point range, going 7 for 35. “I thought we went through a tremendous amount this year,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. We wanted to end it tonight out here.”

Des joueurs de basketball pendant un match. Joel Embiid des 76ers de Philadelphie regarde en direction de la défense des Raptors pendant le 6e match de la série ...

Le fait qu'on a fait les séries, qu'on a tiré de l'arrière 0-3 et qu'on est revenus [à 2-3], je pense que ça prouve le niveau de caractère et de hargne que nous avons. Dans le camp des Raptors, Chris Boucher a connu le meilleur match de sa carrière en séries éliminatoires avec 25 points, un nouveau sommet personnel, et 10 rebonds. C'est dur de penser à la saison. Les partisans des Raptors l'ont d'ailleurs hué copieusement sur la séquence. Après une première demie débridée mais équilibrée, les Raptors ont perdu le nord au troisième quart et ne s'en sont jamais remis. Il avait alors vu Kawhi Leonard inscrire le panier décisif sous son nez lors du match ultime.

Et puis Doc Rivers a sorti une défense de zone qui a complètement brisé le momentum acquis par Toronto en début de match. Avertissement : les Raptors contre une ...

Si la déception est forcément de mise alors que tout le Canada rêvait de voir les Raptors écrire l’histoire, cette fin amère ne doit pas faire oublier la belle campagne de cette équipe de Toronto qu’on n’attendait pas vraiment là. 48 victoires en saison régulière, une cinquième place à l’Est au bout, Pascal Siakam qui retrouve son niveau All-Star (même si c’est Fred VanVleet qui a été nommé) et Scottie Barnes qui rafle le titre de Rookie de l’Année, franchement y’a de quoi quitter la scène la tête bien haute. Le troisième quart-temps a été particulièrement violent pour les Dinos, qui se sont pris un Big Bang dans la gueule (37-17) avec notamment Tyrese Maxey et James Harden dans le rôle de bourreaux. De quoi mettre KO la bande à Nurse, qui n’avait plus grand-chose dans les chaussettes pour espérer réaliser un come-back.

Chris Boucher (19), Pascal Siakam (18) and Gary Trent Jr. (13) have combined for 50 of Toronto's 61 points while Joel Embiid leads the way with 16 for the ...

If necessary, Game 7 will go Saturday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia with the winner advancing to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Raptors got off to a hot start, knocking down seven of their first eight shots before going cold and trailed by five to end the opening quarter. The Philadelphia 76ers lead the Toronto Raptors 62-61 at the end of a back and forth first half in Game 6 at Scotiabank Arena Thursday night.

La troupe de Nick Nurse a finalement rendu les armes face aux 76ers de Philadelphie, jeudi soir au Scotiabank Arena.

Pascal Siakam a bien tenté de l’épauler, avec 24 points, mais en vain. Le premier a amassé 22 points et 15 passes décisives, tandis que le second a réussi 19 points et 11 rebonds. Les deux équipes se sont échangé l’avance à plusieurs reprises lors des deux premiers quarts, si bien que les visiteurs ont retraité au vestiaire avec une avance d’un seul petit point.

Les 76ers de Philadelphie ont battu les Raptors de Toronto 132-97, jeudi soir, pour remporter leur série de premier tour en six matchs.

Le Montréalais Chris Boucher a été la bougie d’allumage des Raptors en première demie en provenance du banc. Gary Trent Jr. a marqué 19 points, incluant 11 au premier quart, et Scottie Barnes a amassé 18 points et sept rebonds. Les Sixers ont fait beaucoup mieux, avec 40 pour cent. Ils ont eu le dessus 37-17 en troisième période et n’ont jamais regardé derrière. Les Raptors vaincus en six, les 76ers s'envolent vers le 2e tourNBA jeudi, 28 avr. En avance par un à la mi-temps, les 76ers ont pris le contrôle avec une séquence de 17-0 vers le milieu du troisième quart.

The Raptors looked all but cooked after losing the series' first three games, but won two elimination games as hope grew among fans for an historic series ...

Harden, who had just 15 points in Game 5, had 10 in the quarter, and the Sixers led by seven a couple of times. Green had four three-pointers and 12 points in the quarter as the Sixers battled back, and led 62-61 at halftime. Philly shot 40 per cent from long distance and a whopping 58 per cent from the field. With their win in Philly on Monday, the Raptors became the 14th team — and first since Milwaukee in 2015 — to force a Game 6 after trailing 3-0. The Raptors were looking to become the fourth NBA team to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0. The visitors outscored Toronto 37-17 in the quarter, and led 99-78 to start the fourth.

Pascal Siakam contourne Tobias Harris avec le ballon de basketball en main. Les 76ers de Philadelphie c. les Raptors de Toronto. Photo : Getty Images / Cole ...

Le fait qu'on a fait les séries, qu'on a tiré de l'arrière 0-3 et qu'on est revenus [à 2-3], je pense que ça prouve le niveau de caractère et de hargne que nous avons. Dans le camp des Raptors, Chris Boucher a connu le meilleur match de sa carrière en séries éliminatoires avec 25 points, un nouveau sommet personnel, et 10 rebonds. C'est dur de penser à la saison. Les partisans des Raptors l'ont d'ailleurs hué copieusement sur la séquence. Après une première demie débridée mais équilibrée, les Raptors ont perdu le nord au troisième quart et ne s'en sont jamais remis. Il avait alors vu Kawhi Leonard inscrire le panier décisif sous son nez lors du match ultime.

What this series did do was give the Raptors a simple mission going forward – get the Philadelphia 76ers.

And this time, they have to teach them the same lesson they were just taught. The Lakers fell apart in the regular season, then the Nets did the same in the playoffs. This is what a desperate and undermanned contender looks like – they do what they have to do to make you beat yourself. “Serious”? That is not the word that comes to mind with this team. The primary villain – God bless him – was Embiid. He was the guy who’d suggested after Game 5 that the referees had been told to extend the series. Working hard to be as irritating and front-running as humanly possible in Game 6, the Sixers provided the Raptors with their indispensable nemesis. He was the guy airplaning down the court after dunking in a game that was already over. If it’s a game of swings, the Raptors swung and missed. If this were more of a traditional basketball hub, the first 10 minutes of Thursday night’s second half would live in infamy. Afterward, Harden was going over the box score with teammate Tobias Harris. Harden was a ridiculous +38 on the game. The audience rained jeers on Harden. Having started in on this act, he had to continue pretending to be hurt. That pushed the Philadelphia lead to 23.

Malgré du jeu inspiré du Montréalais Chris Boucher, les Raptors sont tombés en panne au troisième quart et ont perdu 132-97 devant les 76ers de Philadelphie ...

« Le groupe de gars ici est super. Les Sixers ne menaient que 62-61 à la demie mais au quart suivant, les Raptors ont été surclassés 37-17. Gagner deux matchs après 0-3, ç’a montré tout le caractère que nous avons. Les Sixers ont fait beaucoup mieux, avec 40 pour cent. Le meneur et souvent le cœur des Raptors Fred VanVleet ratait un deuxième match de suite, à cause d’une élongation à la hanche gauche. De plus, le groupe de Nick Nurse a eu bien des misères du périmètre, avec un taux de succès de 20 % pour les tirs de trois points.

It took the Philadelphia 76ers three elimination games to close out the Raptors, but they finally got it done on Thursday night. Philly trounced the Raps 132-97 ...

Two days earlier in Philadelphia, the Sixers fans had headed to the exits early. They sprinted out to a gargantuan 23-point lead in a game that had otherwise been very close to that point. The 76ers had a 34-29 lead after the quarter, and the ambience inside Scotiabank Arena was a little muted. OG Anunoby got into foul trouble and had to sit much of the second quarter. He sat on the bench in street clothes, often shifting toward coaches to be a part of things. It became almost farcical as the Raps’ shots bounced off the rim in every which direction. The Sixers had little trouble holding onto their convincing lead down the stretch. In the NBA’s 75-year history, no club has ever overcome a 3-0 start to win a series. He and Embiid were fighting their way to the free-throw line. For a few days, the Raptors made it look like maybe they were capable of making history. Philly trounced the Raps 132-97 in front of Toronto fans, finishing off the series 4-2. It aimed to become the fourth team ever to push such a series to Game 7.

NBA – Avec des lieutenants agressifs pour épauler Joel Embiid (33 points, 10 rebonds), Philadelphie n'a fait qu'une bouchée de Toronto, vaincu 132 à 97 et ...

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The Toronto Raptors are further along than anyone anticipated at the start of the season. Their comeback from down 0-3 to force a sixth game in itself was a ...

“We have to develop in a lot of areas, that’s definitely one of them,” said Siakam. “I think we took a lot of steps, we got a lot better you can see that in the season. The thinking was earning more field goal attempts would make up for their lack of efficiency with them, and for the most part, it worked: The Raptors took more shots than their opponents in 69 out of 82 games and went 44-25 when they did. Impossible to know, but by his own admission, the hard-nosed point guard didn’t leave anything in the tank. His triple gave the Raptors a five-point lead on his way to putting up 19 points and nine rebounds in the first half. As well, depth was a challenge for the Raptors all year. Even in defeat, it’s a season that has to be deemed a triumph, and a building block. In the early going, there was concerning signs for the Raptors and encouraging ones for the Sixers. Harden – a non-factor in Game 5 and carrying the collective weight of several playoff failures – came out aggressively, coming off screens and driving. Trent Jr., has advanced from curiosity to constant and Boucher has cemented his role as a game-changer off the bench. It’s a special group of guys and like I said, I wouldn’t want to be in the fight with anybody else.” Just by forcing a Game 6, the Raptors already surpassed all but 14 teams of the 143 clubs that had gone down 0-3 in a playoff series before this season. But Toronto can look back at a number of developments and recognize they could have controlled their destiny just a little bit more – the long list of young team mistakes down the stretch of Game 3 that cost them a critical win comes to mind. Harden played his best game of the series with 22 points and 15 assists, while Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris chipped in with 25 and 19 points respectively as the Sixers shot 57.7 per cent from the floor before the benches emptied.

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' season-ending 132-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of their playoff series on Thursday.

Boucher started this series slow, just as he did in the regular season, but settled in nicely and became a game-changing piece off the bench with his hustle and activity. The main goal has remained the same, which is to provide an informative and succinct way of organizing thoughts on each Raptors game, and while they have become longer over the years, my hope is that it has at least become marginally more insightful. Achiuwa has shown in this series and over the course of the season that he is a talent, but as of right now he is still inconsistent and lacking in polish. The limitations of his game remain the same, in that Anunoby is still reliant on others to create his scoring, rather than having the skillset to initiate, and while that is hardly a knock against him, it does become a noticeable shortcoming when the team as a whole lacks scoring. Eight – The Raptors’ overall lack of shooting was always going to be their undoing: They ranked 19th in three-point makes on the season, and ranked bottom-five after the all-star break. Seven – This was a reminder that Precious Achiuwa is still so young in his development: For all the excitement and hype over his tremendous showing in Game 5, he was a non-factor in this loss. The Sixers also had Embiid assigned to Barnes, although he largely ignored him and roamed in the paint. It forced Pascal Siakam to play more laterally rather than driving downhill, and it forced the Raptors to hit outside shots, which is the obvious flaw in the team especially with Fred VanVleet sidelined. Four – Secondary scoring was the difference in the game and in the series: Siakam was excellent when he could play in single coverage, or even against a second defender rotating over in the paint, but there was nobody to support him when he was forced to give it up. Meanwhile, the Raptors got just seven points in the third from their supporting pieces in Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes. One – The Sixers made the necessary adjustments and hit another gear that the Raptors just weren't able to match: For all the criticism over the Sixers' limp performances in Games 4 and 5, the threat was always that their talent would play up to their potential, which was the case here. At least the Raptors were able to keep pace with opportunistic scoring, but that pattern was always going to favour the Sixers, who have far better offensive players to keep up the pace, as compared to Toronto which is fundamentally a defence-first team.

Thursday's slate of NBA games features three possible eliminations, with the Suns, Sixers and Mavericks looking to move on. But the Raptors, Jazz and ...

I think the internal strife the Jazz are dealing with is too much, and I think Doncic is a matchup nightmare for a team with a bunch of small guards who aren’t particularly good defenders in the first place. This weird series in a weird first round at the end of a weird season demands a Game 7. And I’ll take the OVER on Luka Doncic assists (7.5). The elephant in the room as the Raptors try to push this series to an improbable Game 7 is the history of playoff letdowns this Philly team has. Even before all-everything guard/forward/wing/post Luka Doncic returned to the Mavericks’ lineup, I thought this was Dallas’ series to lose. I’ll throw in the UNDER (210) on the combined score, as Dallas and Utah both go under in more than half of their games. And I’m parlaying it with my next pick, a combination that pays off at +250. After Game 4, I wrote that this series felt even with Devin Booker out. And taking a hobbled defender off the court and replacing him with yet another of Toronto’s many long, athletic, switchable defenders did wonders for Nick Nurse’s defence. There’s some buzz going around that right now, the Raptors may be better off without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet, who missed Game 5 with a hip injury. They have an injured superstar in Joel Embiid. And Game 6 is in Toronto. The recipe is there.

Harden a fourni 15 passes et Embiid a capté 10 rebonds. Toronto a aussi de belles contributions de Pascal Siakam (24 points), Gary Trent (19) et Scottie Barnes ...

Les Sixers ont fait beaucoup mieux, avec 40 %. Les Sixers ne menaient que 62-61 à la demie mais au quart suivant, les Raptors ont été surclassés 37-17. Le meneur et souvent le cœur des Raptors Fred VanVleet ratait un deuxième match de suite, à cause d’une élongation à la hanche gauche. De plus, le groupe de Nick Nurse a eu bien des misères du périmètre, avec un taux de succès de 20 % pour les tirs de trois points. Toronto a aussi de belles contributions de Pascal Siakam (24 points), Gary Trent (19) et Scottie Barnes (18), recrue de l’année dans la NBA. Ça n’a pas suffi à arracher un autre victoire, dans l’espoir d’un match ultime. Le champion pointeur de la NBA Joel Embiid a récolté 33 points, huit de plus que Tyrese Maxey, Ce dernier a fait bien du dommage au niveau des tirs de trois points.

Le champion pointeur de la NBA Joel Embiid a récolté 33 points, huit de plus que Tyrese Maxey, Ce dernier a fait bien du dommage au niveau des tirs de trois ...

Les Sixers ont fait beaucoup mieux, avec 40 pour cent. Les Sixers ne menaient que 62-61 à la demie mais au quart suivant, les Raptors ont été surclassés 37-17. Le meneur et souvent le coeur des Raptors Fred VanVleet ratait un deuxième match de suite, à cause d’une élongation à la hanche gauche. De plus, le groupe de Nick Nurse a eu bien des misères du périmètre, avec un taux de succès de 20 % pour les tirs de trois points. Toronto a aussi de belles contributions de Pascal Siakam (24 points), Gary Trent (19) et Scottie Barnes (18), recrue de l’année dans la NBA. Ça n’a pas suffi à arracher un autre victoire, dans l’espoir d’un match ultime. Le champion pointeur de la NBA Joel Embiid a récolté 33 points, huit de plus que Tyrese Maxey, Ce dernier a fait bien du dommage au niveau des tirs de trois points.