Raptors target new win streak in visit to 76ers / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports Credit Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors will try to shake off a disappointing loss and make up for lost ground in the playoff seedings Sunday night when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Raptors lost 128-123 in overtime Friday night after the visiting Los Angeles Lakers tied the game in the final second of regulation on Russell Westbrook's 3-point shot.

The loss dropped the Raptors into seventh place in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won in overtime Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

The Raptors had won their previous five games, all on a six-game road trip.

Scottie Barnes had career bests of 31 points and 17 rebounds on Friday. According to ESPN Stats, he is the fourth rookie over the past 20 seasons with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a game, joining Ben Simmons, Blake Griffin and LeBron James. He is the first Raptors rookie to accomplish the feat.

Pascal Siakam scored 17 points on Friday to end his career-best streak of eight games with 20 or more points.

"I think our guys were doing a lot of good things out there and gave themselves a chance to win," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "We probably would have liked to foul (Westbrook on the game-tying 3-pointer). We had a foul to give. Up three, certainly would have. It's just kind of hard to do in the moment. I thought it took us about a half to get our legs going. That's pretty usual after a long trip."

The 76ers, third in the Eastern Conference entering Saturday, defeated the visiting Dallas Mavericks 111-101 on Friday. Philadelphia is being pursued in the standings by the streaking Boston Celtics.

Joel Embiid had 32 points, eight rebounds and five steals for the 76ers despite playing with a sore back. He had been listed as questionable for the game.

"I'm OK," Embiid said, "I've just got to keep pushing. What, 13 more games (to the end of the regular season)? We're almost there. Then we will figure out the rest later. I'm fine. We've just got to keep pushing."

Embiid has a league-leading 33 games of 30 or more points.

"He's just playing through everything," 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. "I go back to the same thing. He's in great shape. Conditioning allows you to play through injury, allows you to play through pain, and he's doing that. He wants to play. The games he's sat, he's not actually wanted to. He'd been told he had to. It's been good. He's been great."

Philadelphia mixed in a zone defense effectively against Dallas.

"The zone was great," Rivers said. "We work on it every day. We've been doing it more and more over the last five or six games. We like it. We just think our guys are pretty high-IQ guys. It throws a team off rhythm. We stay in it if it's effective just like teams do against us. So it's been good."

James Harden, acquired from the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 10, had 24 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds against Dallas.

The Raptors are still without OG Anunoby (fractured finger) and Malachi Flynn (hamstring).

Anunoby's finger is not fully healed, Nurse said.

"We are going to go on a weekly basis look at how much it's healed and go from there," the coach said.

Flynn is expected to be out at least another week.

Guard Fred VanVleet will miss the game for injury management of his right knee.

--Field Level Media

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