Raptors blown out by Philadelphia in playoff opener

The Toronto Raptors didn’t exactly start the 2022 NBA playoffs they way they hoped to.

Entering the postseason as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, Toronto is now down 1-0 after falling 131-111 to the 76ers in the opener of their first-round matchup at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

Tyrese Maxey had 38 points on the night for the hosts, including 36 points through the third quarter.

Toronto entered halftime down 69-51 to Philadelphia. While they were able to cut the lead down throughout the third quarter, the 76ers were able to hold Toronto at bay.

Rookie of The Year candidate Scottie Barnes looked like Toronto’s best player for many stretches of the game, finishing the night with 15 points.

But Barnes exited the game with a little over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury after a collision with Joel Embiid. Initial x-rays cames back negative, with the team listing it as a left ankle sprain with further imaging to follow.

Barnes also took a tough arm to the face from Joel Embiid, which was eventually awarded as a flagrant 1 foul.

After review, Joel Embiid receives a flagrant 1 foul for unnecessary roughness on Scottie Barnes.#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/jPQhf68Ej5

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 16, 2022

Fred VanVleet also fouled out on the night for Toronto, finishing with 18 points and six assists.

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse spoke pregame about the challenges about matching up against Embiid and James Harden, highlighting the high number of free throw line appearances both players generate. Embiid went 9-11 from the free throw line while scoring 19 points, while Harden was 6-7 while putting up 22 points.

But it wasn’t just Philadelphia’s two biggest stars making the Raptors pay the most early, as Tobias Harris led the way with 16 first half points for the 76ers.

Back in Toronto, Jurassic Park returned for a few hundred fans for the first time since the 2019 playoffs.

Hayley Green/ Daily Hive

Game 1s have never been a strong suit for the Raptors franchise, even in their most successful seasons. The Raptors have now gone 5-17 in series openers all time, including in two of their four series in the 2019 championship season. In contrast, they’re 10-12 all-time in playoff series.

Game 2 for the series is set for Monday night in Philadelphia, with tipoff at 7:30 pm ET/ 4:30 pm PT.

More to come…

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