Sixers roll through Raptors for 131-111 Game 1 win

Rahul Mahariya -
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The 2022 NBA Playoffs began on Saturday with the fourth-seeded 76ers taking on the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors. The Sixers made a statement to start the playoffs, dominating the Raptors, 131–111, to take a 1–0 series lead. Tyrese Maxi took over the game in the third quarter, eventually falling 38 points on a faint 81.9 percent true shooting. Despite scoring just 19 points, Joel Embiid was a monster on the glass, pulling down 13 rebounds. James Harden made 14 assists and added 22 points for good measure, with Tobias Harris having 26. Here are excerpts from Game 1.

First half

  • A big deal in this series was how skilled Toronto was at offensive rebounding, something the Sixers have struggled with throughout the years. Philly used his height advantage to flip in the first quarter to grab six offensive boards. Joel Embiid did an excellent job anchoring it, with three of them dragging themselves down. Their ability to keep the property alive was a big reason why they were able to get off to a hot start.
  • Another reason for the Sixers' good start was Tyrese Maxi. He was flying around the floor at both ends of the jump by jump, and had a 10-point first quarter in his first playoff start. The Raptors quickly managed to keep the game close by hitting several hard shots.
  • A great job by Philly in the non-embed minutes as he checked back into the 10-point game. Paul Reed had a moment or two, but settled down nicely. James Harden and Tobias Harris did a good job offensively during this stretch, as Harden finally saw the stepback fall again. Harris led Philly for the scoring in the half, shooting 7-11 to collect 16 points.
  • Just a brilliant attack in the first half for the Sixers. His ball pace was excellent from the start, zipping the ball around the perimeter, hoisting 19 threes in the half. Incredibly, he had 15 assists and zero turnover in the half.
  • Embiid was excellent to end the first half, as he took advantage of the fact that no one on Toronto's roster could physically hang out with him. He came over the line nine times in the half, causing significant foul trouble to both Fred VanVleet and Chris Boucher. Both will commit a foul in the fourth quarter.

Second quarter

  • The third quarter started off very well for Sixers fans. After pushing his lead to 24, it was reduced to 11 in a matter of minutes, and then it became Tyrese Maxi's game. Maxi scored 21 of his 38 runs in the third quarter. It was the second-highest scoring quarter for the Sixers in the playoffs according to Sixers Stats. Harden's bounce pass brought Maxi and the crowd back into it.
  • Maxi was the best possible version of himself this quarter, driving fatally into the basket and beyond the arc. It's been said a million times this season, but the leap he's made this year as a player and as a shooter has been unbelievable. A huge moment has yet to come for Tyrese Maxey.
  • Just a wire-to-wire win for the Sixers, which didn't give the Raptors another chance to get back into the game in the fourth quarter. They couldn't have asked for a better start after the season. They can extend the series lead to 2-0 on Monday night.

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