The Philadelphia 76ers are back home Thursday night to host the Toronto Raptors, hoping to bounce back after being blown out by the Celtics on Tuesday.
LeBron James is out and Joel Embiid is questionable, while Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti are out, potentially leaving the Sixers' frontcourt severely depleted.
The Raptors are coming off a tough loss of their own to the Celtics and will be without Kawhi Leonard. They could also be missing Scottie Barnes, who has missed three straight games with a groin injury.
Who: Toronto Raptors (5-6) at Philadelphia 76ers (9-3)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
The Sixers are coming off one of their worst performances of the season, falling to the Celtics by 22 points Tuesday night. What was expected to be a competitive matchup between two of the Eastern Conference's top teams quickly turned into Boston running Philadelphia out of the arena.
The Sixers' shooting woes continued, as they hit just 41.8 percent of their shots from the field and 29.7 percent from three-point range against a Celtics team that seemingly couldn't miss. Little went right for Philadelphia, and the team will look to respond with a stronger performance against Toronto.
While much of the roster has played well to start the season, Joel Embiid has struggled recently. Over his last four games, he's shooting just 31 percent from the field and 10 percent from three-point range. His free throw shooting has remained a bright spot, however, as he's converted 94 percent of his attempts during that stretch.
Embiid continues to battle a foot injury, but Philadelphia needs him to rediscover his shooting touch.
The struggles extend beyond Embiid. Philadelphia has been among the league's worst three-point shooting teams and has increasingly strayed from the fast-paced offense and attacks on the interior that fueled its early success.
To beat the Raptors, the Sixers will need to attack the paint, get to the free-throw line and move the ball quickly against a defense that thrives on disrupting passing lanes.
The Raptors arrive in Philadelphia on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Celtics on Wednesday. Toronto has been without Kawhi Leonard since Oct. 23, while Scottie Barnes has missed three straight games with a groin injury.
Even without its two biggest stars, Toronto has several capable contributors, including RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who are both averaging more than 16 points per game.
The Raptors have also received contributions from Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle and Jakob Poeltl, giving them enough depth to challenge a potentially shorthanded Sixers squad.
Like Philadelphia, Toronto has been one of the league's better defensive teams, ranking second with 10.9 steals per game. While the Raptors rank near the bottom of the league in blocked shots, they excel at disrupting passing lanes and limiting opponents' fast-break opportunities.
Toronto also protects the ball relatively well, averaging just 14.5 turnovers per game, the ninth-best mark in the league. With Philadelphia ranking second in that category, the matchup could come down to which team does a better job of forcing mistakes while limiting its own.
Despite those defensive strengths, Toronto has struggled to defend three-point shots, giving Philadelphia a chance to find some much-needed offensive rhythm from beyond the arc.
The Sixers should enter Thursday's matchup with some added urgency after being blown out in two of their past three games.
Philadelphia has looked out of sync over the past week, but Toronto presents an opportunity to regain some offensive rhythm. While the Raptors excel at disrupting passing lanes and forcing turnovers, they've struggled to defend the perimeter, giving the Sixers an opportunity to generate quality looks from three-point range.
The Sixers need to take advantage by attacking the paint, moving the ball with purpose and creating open opportunities for their shooters.
Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown will be central to that effort. Both are capable of creating their own shots and attacking the interior, which could open up opportunities for Philadelphia's perimeter shooters.
Brown will look to rebound from a difficult performance against his former team, while Maxey has shown signs of improvement as the week has progressed. Another strong scoring performance from Maxey would go a long way toward helping Philadelphia get back on track.
Getting VJ Edgecombe involved early will also be important. The second-year guard can provide valuable minutes for a depleted rotation while applying pressure on Toronto's defense in transition. With Edgecombe and Maxey pushing the pace, the Sixers have the speed to create problems for opposing teams.
Another key will be how head coach Nick Nurse manages his rotation.
Nurse has leaned heavily on his starters in recent games, but this roster was built with the depth to provide more flexibility. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade were brought in to help manage minutes and give Philadelphia options beyond its starting five.
Rather than relying on a traditional second unit, Nurse could benefit from staggering those players alongside the starters, allowing them to contribute within established offensive groups instead of being asked to create everything themselves.
If Philadelphia can get those three involved early and establish a more balanced rotation, it could put itself in a stronger position to control the game.
Sixers 109, Raptors 107
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