By: Kylan Watson

After falling to the Toronto Raptors last night, the Philadelphia 76ers got another chance to face them in the final matchup of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. Thanks to an 18-point scoring explosion from Tyrese Maxey in the first quarter, the Sixers were able to cruise to a 115-102 victory over Toronto.

Unlike last night, the Sixers found their offensive rhythm early and often in this game with the return of Joel Embiid (27 points and grabbed 8 rebounds) and Paul George (15 points). Maxey was the biggest beneficiary of their return as he had more space to operate and scored 18 of his 33 points and made 6/9 of his three-pointers in this game. Maxey played very aggressively in this contest and had it working from all sides of the court. When he plays like he did tonight, the Sixers are usually in great position to obtain wins.

Embiid continues to round into form every time he steps on the court, he is beginning to trust his body again and looks like his old self. He continues to play aggressively and his jump shots working the perimeter and from the mid-range and that makes him a dangerous player. Also, if Embiid continues to look like this then the Sixers can be serious contenders for a championship this season. That just speaks to dominance he has been showing throughout the last few months really. In addition, his passing ability continues to create high-percentage shooting opportunities for his teammates and if they can continue to cash in on them, it will make an opposing defense think twice about doubling or triple teaming him.

Despite being down by 20 plus points in this game the Raptors continued to fight in this contest. Immanuel Quickley (18 points) and a returning Brandon Ingram (17 points) did all they could to keep their team in this game. The duo combined for 35 of Toronto’s 102 points both players got whatever they wanted from the field. Philly sent multiple lengthy defenders at them to force them to take tougher shots and no one else had it working for Toronto tonight. Which helped the Sixers extend their lead and win this game.

Both teams will probably see each other again in the playoffs. However, the Sixers had to have this game after losing to the Raptors yesterday evening and they were able to get it. Now the Sixers will return to Philly and prepare for a two-game series against the surging Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Sixers and Cavaliers are both getting healthier and these two games should be a great indication of where both teams are at this point in the season. Philly will need to limit their turnovers, win the rebounding battle, stay connected to their defensive assignments, and cash-in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created from their ball movement. Implementing these things into their game plan on Wednesday night will put them in great shape to win their 23^rd game of the season and make a statement as they continue to rocket up the standings in the loaded Eastern Conference.