The James Harden-Joel Embiid partnership passed its first playoff test. The 76ers routed the Raptors in Game 1 of their first-round series, cruising to a 131–111 win.
Philly opened up a big lead in the second quarter and never looked back, leading by double digits the entire second half.
Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 38, while Harden and Embiid added 22 and 19, respectively. Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 24. Here are five thoughts on Game 1.
The Raptors will lose this series in four games if Maxey leads all scorers and shoots over 66% every night.
The 21-year old was unstoppable, hitting five threes and slicing through Toronto’s defense. Nick Nurse played small and sold out on stopping Embiid,
Nick Nurse played small and sold out on stopping Embiid, which meant sending doubles and traps at him all night long.
Moving forward, Maxey’s explosion creates a bit of a dilemma for the Raptors.
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