Sixers go for fifth straight win, face skidding Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to win their fifth straight game when they host the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The Sixers captured their fourth in a row with a 118-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday. Even playing without Tyrese Maxey (fractured left foot), Tobias Harris (back) and Furkan Korkmaz (non-COVID illness), the Sixers received 34 points and 13 rebounds from Joel Embiid and 27 points and nine assists from James Harden. "You just gotta find a way each night," Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said. "The late scratch game like (Korkmaz) and (Harris) tonight are difficult you know, because you kind of had them in your plan then you pull them out and you have no guards left. We sent (Jaden Springer) down, thinking we had all our guards or some back. We literally didn't have enough guys today." Having Embiid in the lineup on any night can mask a lot of issues. Embiid has scored at least 30 in six straight games, the longest active streak in the league. "It's next man up mentality," Embiid said. "We are missing our best player in Tyrese. Tobias has been great this year. He's doing his thing, been efficient defensively, he's been great. When you are missing these types of guys it's hard, but I think we have enough talent." Not only have the Sixers won four straight at home, they're 10-1 in the last 11. It's a good sign for a team which struggled early. "I think our guys are finally seeing like this is who we are, this is how we have to play," Rivers said. "They know it. They're starting to visualize what we are and that's a good thing." The struggling Raptors will aim to snap a five-game losing streak when they battle the Sixers. The Raptors fell 126-110 to the depleted Golden State Warriors on Sunday despite 27 points from Pascal Siakam, 22 from Fred VanVleet and 17 from Scottie Barnes. Toronto has been without OG Anunoby (hip) for the last four games and Gary Trent Jr. (thigh) for the last two. The prognosis appears to be more encouraging for Anunoby. "I expect him back this week, sometime," head coach Nick Nurse said. "What (the medical staff) said, is he's back and through his sickness and both his hand and his hip are improving." And Trent Jr.? "It doesn't look like it's getting much better," Nurse said of Trent Jr. "I think they're searching for more information at this point." The Raptors' five consecutive losses is their worst skid since a seven-game losing streak to complete the 2020-21 season. The losing streak can be correlated to some key injuries. But miscues on defense have also been a consistent issue. Golden State shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 18 of 39 from 3-point territory. "We certainly had a hard time tonight. It wasn't very good. There (weren't) a whole lot of positives to take out of the defensive side especially," Nurse said. "We were just chasing them all night. We've got to dig in." --Field Level Media