The Philadelphia 76ers might be sitting at a highly respectable 9-3, but don’t let that record fool you, because the vibes are off right now. Getting absolutely smacked around for the final quarter and a half against the Celtics will do that to a team. To make matters worse, Tuesday night marked their second 20-plus-point loss in their last three games, and that definitely doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.
Offensive Woes and Embiid’s Shot
It’s super important to remember that nothing is won in early November, but there are some serious areas where the Sixers need to step it up, especially on offense. They’re sitting at just 20th in the league in offensive rating, and let’s be real, it’s looking way too iso-heavy out there for a team with this kind of talent. Plus, Joel Embiid needs to find his shooting stroke. He’s currently hitting just 37.0 percent from the field on the season. That’s just not going to cut it for a star of his caliber.
Injury Bug Bites Hard
Now, here’s where things get really dicey for Philly. Both Joel Embiid, dealing with plantar fasciitis, and LeBron James, who has lower back issues, are listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. That’s a huge problem, especially since it’s not even a back-to-back for the Sixers. They’re already without Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow, and Ariel Hukporti is out for the entire season. So yeah, the Sixers could be dangerously thin in the front court tonight, which is a nightmare scenario. On the brighter side, their defensive rating is surprisingly strong, sitting at 8th in the league. But even there, the consistent failure to identify and close out on open shooters against Boston was a major red flag. And when Embiid is on the bench, the rebounding has been a big issue. If he’s out tonight, that’s going to hurt, big time.
They should have an easier time with Toronto tonight, who’s been around a league-average team so far this season. The Raptors also played last night, hosting Boston in a close 98-93 defeat where their offense went cold in the fourth quarter. The Sixers’ injury report is rough, but Toronto’s isn’t much better. Kawhi Leonard is out undergoing reconditioning for his knee, and Scottie Barnes hasn’t played since November 4 due to a groin injury. Reserve forward Trayce Jackson-Davis also missed last night’s game due to illness. In the absence of their two big stars, six Raptors players managed to score between 11 and 17 points last night. The Sixers need to figure out their offense and somehow navigate these injuries against a shorthanded but scrappy Raptors squad.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Liberty Ballers.
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