The Toronto Raptors are taking on a dangerous Philadelphia 76ers tonight.
Tonight, the Toronto Raptors take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a must-win matchup for the Raptors. They must improve their defence quickly if they want to stop their five-game slide. Can the Toronto Raptors re-energize their defensive core to grab that much-needed win against the Philadelphia 76ers?
The 76ers are rolling, and the Raptors are struggling. Toronto Raptors should have an uphill battle as their porous defence will be up against Philadelphia’s high-powered offence. The key for Toronto will be to shut down Philadelphia's scoring chances and force them into taking heavily contested shots. Something that they haven't been able to do lately. They gave up 126 points on %53.1 from the field to a Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors last night at home. The Raptors need to regain their defensive mojo and contain the Philadelphia 76ers' high-powered offence if they're going to have a chance tonight.
Raptors' Defense Needs to Improve in a Hurry!
The Raptors need to get back to defending like they did when they were cited by many as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA at the beginning of the season. Nick Nurse is known for his elite defensive schemes, and the Raptors have the roster to do it.
The Raptors have been experimenting with a two-point guard lineup of Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn to give them extra ball handling and shooting. While this has been effective offensively for the past couple of games, the issue is how the two defendants can defend length in tandem. VanVleet and Flynn will need to be able to defend the perimeter and keep their man in front of them if the Raptors are going to have a chance against the 76ers. The problem has not been with defending the pick-and-roll. The problem is more extensive than that; the Raptors can't stay in front of people even when they switch effectively and communicate on defence. Toronto needs to find ways to hide away to unlock the defensive potential of its roster with Nick Nurse's elite defensive schemes. This is the time.
The Philadelphia 76ers are rolling right now!
The Philadelphia 76ers are rolling right now, and the Toronto Raptors need to be prepared for a battle tonight. In their last 5 games, the Sixers are averaging whopping 125.6 points per game. This fantastic run of offensive production can be attributed mainly to Joel Embiid dominating with his impressive 38.3 points per game on an outstanding 68.5 true shooting percentage. He's a man on a mission right now. The Raptors need to find a way to contain the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and his unstoppable offensive firepower.
Toronto needs to be ready for a high-scoring affair when they take on the 76ers tonight, as Philly looks like they're peaking just at the right time heading into the season's crunch time! With a star-studded lineup featuring Embiid leading the charge, Toronto will have their hands full trying to slow them down and preventing them from putting up even more huge numbers from beyond the arc!