Tyrese Maxey scored 21 of his 38 points in the third quarter and shattered the Toronto Raptors ’hopes of closing the gap in a 131-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points on a difficult night for the Raptors, with rookie Scottie Barnes leaving the game with a left foot injury and Fred VanVleet being sent off early in the fourth quarter. OG Anunoby added 20 points for the Toronto squad.
Barnes had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a strong start to the playoffs before 76ers center Joel Embiid stepped on his foot and left him struggling on the ground.
VanVleet had 18 points and 6 assists before leaving the game at the same stretch.
Embiid had 19 points and 15 rebounds.
The Raptors rose to 5-17 in the first meeting of a series. The second duel will take place on Monday, still in Philadelphia.
It was the first playoff matchup between Atlantic Section rivals since Kawhi Leonard’s famous field goal eliminated the 76ers in the 2019 Eastern Semifinals.
The teams will return to Toronto for games three and four, April 20 and 23, respectively. The series will return to Philadelphia for Part 5, if needed.
Source: Radio-Canada