Up 3-0 on the Raptors, the 76ers had four opportunities to finish off Toronto in the best-of-seven playoff series.
It took the Sixers three chances, but they finally eliminated the Raptors 132-97 in Game 6 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena, but they avoided becoming just the fourth team to need a Game 7 after being ahead 3-0. The Sixers begin the second round Monday night (7:30) against the top-seeded Heat in Miami. Game 2 will be Wednesday (also 7:30) in South Florida, with Games 3 (7) and 4 (TBA) following in Philadelphia on May 6 and 8.
“It feels great,” said second-year guard Tyrese Maxey. “We had to come take this one. We knew they weren’t going to give it to us.”
Doc Rivers called it the most serious game his team played this season, which power forward Tobias Harris said was because the Sixers understood what was at stake.
Rivers’ Clippers and Sixers’ teams had lost 11 of their last 14 closeout games prior to Thursday. Three of his clubs — the 2003 Magic, 2015 Clippers and 2020 Clippers in the bubble — couldn’t advance despite having 3-1 leads.
After discussing what happened in each series Wednesday, Rivers said, “Let’s win it and we don’t have to talk about it.”
Mission accomplished.
Rivers effectively utilized a zone defense, especially in the second half, and was able to get star center Joel Embiid the ball in better position than in the Game 4 and 5 defeats.
“I thought this series made us a better basketball team,” Rivers said. “We needed this. We were pushed.”
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The Sixers did it Thursday with a huge third quarter in which they outscored the Raptors 37-17, as well as improved performances by Embiid, veteran guard James Harden and Maxey.
Embiid averaged 20.5 points in the Sixers’ two losses after averaging 27.7 points in the first three wins. He tallied 33 points on 12-for-18 shooting in Game 6 despite the torn right thumb ligament and attempted 10 free throws after managing a total of 15 in the previous two outings. He added 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Sixers are going to need more of the same from Embiid if they plan on getting past Jimmy Butler and the Heat.
“They’re good, they’re deep, they’re veterans,” Rivers said. “We’re going to go play grown men. It’s going to be a challenge.”
The Sixers are 1-10 in their last 11 trips to the Eastern Conference semifinals, including 0-9 without homecourt advantage, dating back to a 1985 second-round sweep of the Bucks. The only win came in seven games over the Raptors on the way to the 2001 NBA Finals.
It also helped the Sixers that Harden, who has struggled with his shot, was more aggressive early, scoring 10 first-quarter points before picking up his second foul late in the period. He finished with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 15 assists after having been 25 of 67 (.373) in the first five games.
“We weren’t going back to Philly for a Game 7,” Harden said.
Maxey also bounced back from a pair of subpar showings with 25 points on 8-for-16 shooting. His third 3-pointer of the third quarter and a pair of Harden free throws put the Sixers ahead by 20 (87-67) midway through the period and allowed Rivers’ team to take control.
The Raptors being without all-star point guard Fred VanVleet (hip flexor strain) again meant Nick Nurse could go with a big lineup that has been effective at the defensive end, but the Sixers did a much better job scoring than they did on the way to just 88 points in a 15-point Game 5 drubbing at the Wells Fargo Center.
Rivers said 120 points was the target Thursday and his team easily surpassed that total.
Rivers extended his rotation from eight in the first two games at Scotiabank Arena to nine, giving seldom-used wing Furkan Korkmaz three minutes in the opening half. Reserve wing Matisse Thybulle cannot play in Canada because he isn’t fully vaccinated.
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The Sixers led 34-29 at the end of the opening quarter, marking just the second time in the six games that they were ahead going into the second period.
The dominant third quarter allowed Sixers fans to breathe a little easier and, like Rivers and his team, not have to worry about a Game 7 and potentially becoming the first team to lose a best-of-seven series after having a 3-0 lead.
As a result, only the Heat stand between the Sixers and their first trip to the conference finals since 2001.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly
