After game one, the Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse made something clear.
The Raptors were going to get physical with Joel Embiid.
Embiid was the catalyst in the first game. He finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds but his impact was much more. Embiid’s presence allowed Tyrese Maxey for 38 points.
After that game, Nurse said “I don’t care if you’re 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, if you beat him to the spot and he runs you over, it’s a foul,” Nurse said. “I thought he threw three or four elbows to the face. He got called for one. We’re going to stand in there.” (ESPN)
In game 2, the Raptors didn’t back down to Embiid and the Raptors paid the price. The Philadelphia 76ers big man went to the free throw line 14 times, making 12 of them. Embiid would finish with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
All five Philadelphia starters finished in double-figures. Once again, Maxey was the biggest beneficiary. The former Kentucky guard was a smidge away from a triple-double (23 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists).
As the series moves to Canada, the Sixers will lose Matisse Thybulle (vaccination status).
Nurse will need to make adjustments if the Raptors want to be competitive. Where should he start? Stop complaining about the officiating. That’s not going to work.
“I’ve always been a big fan [of Nurse], but I told him, respectfully … to stop bitching about calls, because I saw what he said last game,” Embiid said. “If you’re going to triple-team somebody all game, they’re bound to get to the free-throw line.” (Yahoo Sports)
Once again, Embiid gets the best of Nurse.
