Sixers-Raptors quick observations: Jimmy Butler set the tone in NBA playoffs Game 6
Despite using multiple defenders, Toronto had no answers for Jimmy Butler who set the tone with a dominating first half.
The Sixers beat the Raptors, 112-101, on Thursday, forcing a Game 7 on Sunday in their Eastern Conference semifinals series.
Here are three quick observations:
Butler sets the tone
Toronto had no answers for Sixers forward Jimmy Butler in the first half. The Sixers took a 58-43 lead into halftime and Butler had 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and one turnover.
The Raptors started with Danny Green on the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Butler, who simply had too much strength and speed. For a while Toronto tried Kyle Lowry, who was spotting Butler seven inches and the Sixers forward overpowered him. Lowry was in foul trouble, eventually committing three first-half fouls so he didn’t guard Butler long.
On a switch, Butler found 6-9 Pascal Siakam on him and it didn’t matter, the Toronto forward was called for a foul.
Late in the first half Toronto got so desperate that the Raptors had two-time NBA defensive player of the year Kawhi Leonard on Butler. One one play near the end of the quarter, Butler eluded Leonard and fed Mike Scott for a close-range shot.
Green was back on Butler to begin the second half and continued to struggle and Leonard quickly switched to guarding him. For the rest of the quarter Butler cooled off, but he was the one who set the tone for the Sixers with his exceptional first half.
Questionable coaching decision
The Raptors led 15-13 after Serge Ibaka hit a free throw with 4:35 left in the first quarter when Sixers coach Brett Brown reinserted Joel Embiid into the game.
Marc Gasol had played Embiid well in the opening quarter but he wasn’t on the court when the Sixers center returned.
Immediately the Sixers went on a 10-0 run. While Embiid didn’t score during that run, his presence opened space for his teammates. During that run, Tobias Harris and Mike Scott each hit three pointers, getting great looks as Toronto has to have extra defensive attention on Embiid.
It appears Nurse learned his lesson. In the second quarter, Embid returned to the game with 5:59 left until halftime and Gasol was also inserted at that time.
Few players make Embiid work as hard as Gasol and he should always be on the court when the Sixers two-time all-star is.
One other note on Embiid - while his offense showed some rust, his overall game was strong. Through three quarters, with the Sixers leading 87-67, was already a plus-40.
More aggressive Simmons
While Ben Simmons still is reluctant to shoot even a midrange jump shot, he was much more aggressive offensively, not only driving to the basket but following shots. Through three periods he was 9 for 12 from the field with 19 points, six assists and no turnovers. In most cases the 6-10 Simmons has a mismatch inside and he was successful operating around the basket.