By: Kylan Watson

After losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers had another chance to redeem themselves as they faced the Toronto Raptors tonight. The Sixers could not get out of their own way and the Raptors took full advantage beating them 115-107.

Philly once again struggled to find their offensive rhythm without Joel Embiid and Paul George on the floor. For the second straight game the Sixers could not buy one from beyond the arc. They only made 7/25 of their three-point opportunities, and it did not matter if the shots were wide-open or contested.

Nick Nurse has to put someone on the floor who can consistently knock down their threes. As a result, it is costing them games early in the season and it must be fixed very quickly. Especially, as they prepare to face the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon, cashing in on high-percentage shooting opportunities created by their ball movement will open up the offense.

The Sixers did mount a comeback late in the fourth quarter and cut the Raptors 14-point lead to a nine-point lead in that period. However, they just could not string together enough offense to beat Toronto in this contest.

On the defensive side the Sixers were late on their rotations and did not play disciplined defense throughout this contest. It is only game two, but the Sixers played better defense on Wednesday night than they did tonight against the Raptors. They were outhustled in this game as they lost the rebounding battle by double digits (65-42). Giving up 65 rebounds (18 offensive rebounds) is just way too many opportunities to give to a scrappy team that is looking to extend your misery.

The Sixers have to continue to press on during this tough stretch without their big guns. They have to build trust and chemistry on all sides of the ball and communicate with each other.

Toronto was able to create multiple offensive opportunities because of bad communication and late rotations. Scottie Barnes scored 27 points in this contest and the Sixers had no answers for him. He took full advantage of their bad defensive play and late rotations and created high-percentage opportunities for his teammates, and Philly could not stop them tonight. Communicating with each other will eliminate some of the issues on the defensive side, but the Sixers have to get it going on the offensive side if they want to survive.

The Sixers will now face the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon and if they want to keep up with their explosive offense. They have to cash in on the high-percentage opportunities created from their ball movement. The Sixers cannot force up shots or turn the ball over against the Pacers, because this game can turn into a blowout really quickly if they turn the ball over against Indiana’s stingy defensive scheme. Philly also needs a third scorer to emerge if they want to get their first win of the season against Indiana on Sunday.