The Philadelphia 76ers just bagged their tenth win of the season, taking down the Toronto Raptors 123-112 on Thursday night, and they did it all without LeBron James, who was sidelined with lower back/sciatica management. Talk about overcoming adversity right out of the gate! Maxey absolutely took the reins, reminding everyone that this Sixers squad is deep, dangerous, and not backing down for anybody.
The 15-0 Gut Punch That Turned the Game Around
Man, it looked rough early on. The Sixers stumbled hard, digging themselves into a 32-16 hole in the first quarter. You gotta be thinking, “Uh oh, without LeBron, are they gonna mail it in?” NOPE. This team doesn’t quit. They punched back with a ridiculous 15-0 run that completely changed the momentum. That’s how you respond to an early deficit, especially when a superstar is out. From there, they just kept pouring it on, outscoring Toronto by a 36-27 margin in both the second and third quarters. That kind of consistent dominance after a slow start tells you everything about their focus and their fight. Maxey, as usual, was leading the charge for their star-studded offense, but the whole starting unit brought that balanced attack we love to see. He dropped 27 points, dished out 8 assists, and added 2 steals and a block, showing why he’s such a critical piece. Joel Embiid also came up big with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, plus 2 blocks and a steal. Jaylen Brown chipped in with 18 points and 6 boards, while VJ Edgecombe had a stellar night with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. What a showing!
Bench Mob Steals the Show, Raptors Left Licking Wounds
It wasn’t just the starters carrying the load either, and that’s what makes this win even more impressive. The bench came in and absolutely lit it up from deep. Anfernee Simons, Jabari Walker, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined to go 9-for-13 from beyond the arc. That’s clutch shooting right there, giving the Sixers that extra firepower when they needed it most. Simons had 17 points, Caldwell-Pope added 11, and Walker contributed 9. They spoiled a fantastic night for Toronto’s RJ Barrett, who had to pick up a ton of slack with Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard both out for the Raptors. Barrett put up an incredible 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, but it just wasn’t enough to stop the Philly freight train. The Sixers are now sitting pretty at 10-3, continuing to impress in the early 2026-27 season. Meanwhile, those Raptors, now at 5-7, are on a three-game losing streak and looking for answers.
Up next for the red-hot Sixers is a Sunday showdown against the Indiana Pacers. The Raptors will try to snap their losing skid when they take on the New York Knicks on Sunday. You can bet Philly is feeling good right now, and the league is definitely taking notice of their early-season dominance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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