Maxey drops career-high 44 points as 76ers rout Raptors, split mini series in Toronto
Siakam leads Toronto with 26-point, 10 rebound double-double in 112-90 loss
The Philadelphia 76ers were ready for the second game of their back-to-back series in Toronto. The Raptors weren't.
Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 44 points as the Sixers routed Toronto 112-90 on Friday, two nights after the Raptors had soundly beat them. Toronto forward Scottie Barnes said it's hard to stay focused against the same opponent, a new challenge as the NBA reintroduces two-game series to its regular season.
"They came out ready to go, ready to try to win, to try to get back on track for their team," said Barnes, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Barnes has scored in double digits for all five Raptors games this season, including the 119-109 victory over the Sixers on Wednesday.
"They probably went back and made adjustments, try to tweak their game plan," said Barnes. "They came out ready."
WATCH | Maxey leads 76ers to runaway victory over Raptors:
Pascal Siakam led Toronto (3-3) with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. OG Anunoby added 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds.
All-star point guard Fred VanVleet struggled with his shooting all night, going 0 for 11 from field-goal range, including eight missed three-pointers, with his one point coming on a free throw.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said he couldn't explain why VanVleet's shooting was so cold.
"I asked him several times in the game if physically he was all right," said Nurse. "He said that he was every time, but he certainly was out of sorts. There's no doubt about it."
Embiid absent in win
Maxey's explosive performance for the 76ers (2-4) included a career-high nine three-pointers as well as eight rebounds and four assists. His output made up for the absence of all-star centre Joel Embiid, who was a late scratch from Philadelphia's lineup.
"Tonight we knew it was going to be extremely hard without Joel," said Maxey. "That made guys step up, that made guys do things they don't normally do."
Maxey didn't miss a single shot in the first half, going 10 for 10 on field goals, including seven three-pointers, as the Sixers pulled away to a 65-48 lead by intermission. Siakam led Toronto with 18 points in the half.
Anunoby brought the sellout crowd of 19,800 at Scotiabank Arena to its feet with 4:09 left in the third quarter when his emphatic dunk cut Philly's lead to 70-64. He'd started the play when he stripped Harden just over centre and broke out on his own for the highlight-reel jam.
VanVleet scored his first point of the game on a free throw with 3:04 left in the third. His second free throw rimmed out, though, as his shooting struggles continued.
Toronto guard Gary Trent Jr. scored six points in the fourth quarter to finish with 14 and forward Chris Boucher added five to finish with eight. With the game well out of hand, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse started putting his reserves out.
"I don't hardly ever do that," said Nurse. "I don't believe in throwing in the towel."
