With the regular season winding down, the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers appear to be headed in opposite directions.
The Raptors aim for their fourth straight victory on Sunday when they visit the 76ers, who are hoping to avoid their eighth straight defeat.
Toronto (27-47) has endured a challenging season, but the team is starting to show signs of life over the last several weeks. The Raptors have won nine of their last 14 contests with three separate three-game winning streaks during that stretch.
Most recently, Toronto defeated the Charlotte Hornets 108-97 on Friday behind Jakob Poeltl’s 24 points and 12 rebounds. Immanuel Quickley chipped in 19 points and nine assists, while Scottie Barnes added 18 points.
“It’s great to see how hard they play … and how connected they are and how they communicate with each other and how they support each other,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. “That’s big for me. For me, everything starts with playing hard, and everything starts with having good team chemistry, and that’s something I’m really proud we have on this team.”
Poeltl noted after the win that the team is clearly developing a comfort level with Rajakovic’s defensive system. The Raptors are allowing only 95.7 points during their current three-game winning streak.
“The idea is that you do it for long enough to where we get really comfortable in it,” Poeltl said. “Then we can put teams in uncomfortable situations, and I think that’s starting to show.”
On top of anchoring Toronto’s defense, Poeltl has made 30 of 36 from the floor over the last three games, however he is expected to sit out Sunday’s game due to rest purposes. He certainly would be a handful for a Philadelphia team that has allowed at least 110 points in 18 consecutive contests.
The Sixers (23-51) absorbed a 118-95 defeat to the Miami Heat on Saturday despite 19 points and 10 assists from Jared Butler. Five other Philadelphia players scored in double figures, including Justin Edwards (17 points) and Adem Bona (16 points, 10 boards).
The team officially was eliminated from playoff contention with Saturday’s defeat.
“Obviously it’s not anywhere near where we had hoped it would be when we set out this summer and this fall. That’s for sure,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said.
Of note, the Sixers are in a battle to keep their first-round pick. If they end up with one of the top six picks in the draft lottery, then they get to keep their pick. However, if it falls seventh or later, then Philadelphia will owe its pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It’s a big lottery ball thing. It is,” Nurse said earlier this week. “I think any team would want that big of an asset in their locker, you know?”
This is the fourth and final regular-season matchup between Philadelphia and Toronto.
The Raptors have won the first three meetings, including a 118-105 victory earlier this month. Toronto won that contest without Barnes and Quickley, as A.J. Lawson (28) and Orlando Robinson (25) combined for 53 points off the bench.
