The Philadelphia Sixers returned to the Wells Fargo Arena in Philly with the series tied up. The no. 3 seeded Sixers had eked out a 94-89 game two win over the Toronto Raptors north of the border. But some around the league believed it was just a fluke. After all, they had lost by 13 in game one and the Raptors had one of the few players in the league better than Sixers center Joel Embiid in the newly acquired Kawhi Leonard.
On Thursday, the Sixers proved that their win was no fluke. They beat Toronto by 21 points, winning 116-95 and took a 2-1 series lead with another home game to play before heading back on the road.
Embiid was a hesitant star in the game. He put up 33 points, pulled down 10 boards, and sent five shots back. On top of that, he had no problem navigating veteran Marc Gasol‘s defense after being manhandled in game one. Gasol went two for six from the field and had a plus/minus rating of -26. However, Jimmy Butler still had to scream at Embiid to shoot the ball throughout the game.
Butler was also no slouch himself. The vet, who could easily walk out of Philly after this season, is still all in. He put up 22 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in the game on top of being the heart and soul of the squad.
Though that doesn’t mean that Leonard was held back by the Sixers defense. After scoring 80 points in the first two games, he put up another 33 points Thursday night on 13 for 22 shooting.
Game four will be crucial for both teams. They’ve put together squads with incredibly short championship windows. Toronto sent away longtime hero DeMar DeRozan for Leonard this offseason. Leonard could easily walk away after this year, having expressed desires to head back to California. Philly brought in Butler and Tobias Harris this season, both in the last years of their contracts and looking for big deals. Elton Brand, Sixers GM, will have to weigh the value of his newest pickups and pull off master maneuvering to keep them as well as Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Game four will take place on Sunday, April 5. Philly is currently favored by 1.5 points. The over/under is set at 214.5.
