Last Tuesday night, the Toronto Raptors thought they had the Philadelphia 76ers on the ropes midway through the third quarter. They went up as much as fourteen points, Joel Embiid headed to the locker room to get some medical attention, and they were poised to step on the gas and perhaps put this game out of the Sixers’ reach.
At least, that’s what would have happened last season.
This season the Raptors faltered and lost again — their third time in as many games, leaving them winless on the year. Kyle Lowry did his part to keep the Raptors in front, but when he was subbed off, the absence of his scoring and playmaking — particularly from the team’s second unit — hit Toronto hard.