10 things from Raptors-Sixers Game 6

Here’s 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors’ 112-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6.

One - Soft: There’s no way to describe this performance other than that the Raptors just didn’t want it enough. The 76ers played with their backs against the wall, while the Raptors treated this one like a random game in December. The Sixers, especially home in a prideful city like Philadelphia, were never going to lay down and the Raptors needed to take it from them. Instead, they played the role of the courteous guest and just surrendered the win.

Two - Leader: Jimmy Butler continues to be phenomenal in this series, and he set the tone for the Sixers with his all-out effort from start to finish. Butler sent the Sixers into halftime with a 15-point advantage by hitting a driving layup, an and-one jumper over Kyle Lowry off his own miss, and picking Kawhi Leonard in the open floor for a breakaway dunk to beat the buzzer. Later in the fourth quarter, with the victory already in hand, Butler poked the ball out of Serge Ibaka’s hands and dove to save the the loose ball, which triggered a fast break that produced a layup by Tobias Harris. Sixers fans chanted Butler’s name at every opportunity, and rightfully so.

Three - Muted: On the other end, Leonard just couldn’t match Butler’s energy. Leonard was the best Raptor by some margin, yet it wasn’t anywhere close to his best. Leonard made questionable decisions with the ball, was rather sloppy with his dribble, gravitated towards traffic, all of which culminated in Leonard getting blocked twice at the rim by Joel Embiid. The Raptors needed the very best of Leonard to close it out on the road, and it didn’t happen.

Four - Aggressive: Ben Simmons finally left his mark on the series after being invisible over the first five games. Simmons surpassed his Game 5 scoring total in the first quarter alone, and was tenacious around the basket for putbacks and driving layups. It’s a mystery why the ultra-athletic Simmons doesn’t play with this type of aggression more regularly. If things get hairy in Game 7, the Raptors should consider intentionally hacking Simmons just to get him off the floor.

Five - Abysmal: Toronto’s veterans - especially Ibaka and Danny Green - were downright unplayable. Green was a saloon door on defense against the hard-charging Butler, while Ibaka clanked his first open jumper and was a disaster on offense the rest of the way while also fouling out in 22 minutes. The Raptors need their most senior players to be solid on the road, which is how Game 4 was won. It was the total opposite tonight.

Six - Bricks: It’s almost comical how badly the Raptors have performed from the three-point line outside of Game 5. By percentage, Toronto shot: 33 percent, 27 percent, 26 percent, 32 percent, and 25 percent tonight. What’s more perplexing is that a lot of these are wide-open looks for the Raptors’ best shooters, but they’re still not falling. To make matters worse, it seems to put a strain on the Raptors’ main playmakers, in that Leonard and Pascal Siakam zero in on attacking a congested paint instead of trusting the offense.

Seven - Encouraging: The only highlight from this game was Marc Gasol’s crafty post defense against Embiid, who only shot 3-of-11 from inside the arc. Stopping Embiid should plug the Sixers’ offense, but Simmons and Butler picked up the slack tonight. Nevertheless, if Gasol replicates this effort in Game 7, that would put the Raptors in a good position to close it out at home. It also wouldn’t hurt if Gasol called his own number more often - Gasol can clearly score but he continues to be unselfish to a fault. If he can establish an interior scoring threat, that might free up better looks for the struggling shooters on the perimeter.

Eight - Difficult: Expect the Sixers to roll with a seven-man rotation in Game 7, with the pesky James Ennis as the replacement at the guard positions while Mike Scott soaks up minutes for the forwards. Brett Brown tossed the Raptors a lifeline tonight as half-human, half-meme Boban Marjanovic got non-garbage minutes for no reason whatsoever, which instantly sparked a 10-0 by the Raptors.

Nine - Energy: In all likelihood, Nick Nurse will match Brown by rolling with a six-man rotation that he used in Game 4. That means, however, that the Raptors will need to gather as much rest as possible over the next two off-days. The Sixers have already shown that they won’t lay down without a fight - especially not with Butler leading the charge - and the Raptors aren’t talented enough to just out-execute the opponent. It will come down to who makes more hustle plays, and that’s where the Sixers’ youth and athleticism might factor in.

Ten - Outlook: The Eastern Conference Finals will start next Wednesday in Milwaukee, and at the moment, both the Raptors and the Sixers would be heavy underdogs. Milwaukee is physically equipped to defend both teams, and in addition to having a week off to rest, the Bucks also have the advantage of having a productive second unit and reliable three-point shooters, which is something the Raptors and Sixers both lack.

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