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Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 loss vs. 76ers

By Jonathan Turco

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Raptors 116-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Raptors 116-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /

The Toronto Raptors were outclassed and outplayed in their Game 3 blowout loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night, 116-95.

The Toronto Raptors went on the road against welcoming hosts in the Philadelphia 76ers and fell significantly short in the loss. The Sixers have taken away home-court advantage from the higher seeded Raptors and have taken the series lead, 2-1 with their win in Game 3.

Raptors’ superstar Kawhi Leonard continued his dominance in the series by contributing 33 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block on 13-for-22 shooting. Two of their starters produced mini bounce-back games after Game 2’s inefficient shooting night. Pascal Siakam scored 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting and Danny Green produced 13 points and six rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting.

For the Sixers, each of their starting five produced double-digit scoring with Joel Embiid leading the team with 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting. Jimmy Butler produced a near triple-double of 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 9-of-15 shooting. The team’s bench outscored the Raptors bench, 23-15.

For Raptors’ fans, this was a tough game to watch. From tip-off, the Sixers were playing with more urgency, better offensive execution and were a wall defensively in the paint, daring the Raptors to shoot from the outside.

After the first frame, Toronto was still in the game only down by 3 thanks to three 3-pointers from Green. The bench unit saw extended minutes to start the frame, yet found themselves in a huge deficit, losing by as many as 17. Once the rest of the starters came back in, they went on small runs to close the gap.

The Third quarter was the only winning one for Toronto as it outscored its opponent 28-25 on the back of Kawhi’s 6-for-6 shooting in the frame. The bench unit plus Kyle Lowry lineup started the fourth quarter after significantly cutting the lead to 89-81 to end the third. The momentum was washed away by a poor display of effort and shooting from the lineup. The game was then out of reach for the Raptors.

The dominant play from the Sixers’ starters impacted the game throughout and everyone not named Kawhi Leonard didn’t have an answer for it. Here are the takeaways from Game 3’s loss.

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