76ers 98, Raptors 93
Elton Brand scored 22 points and Thaddeus Young added 20 as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 98-93 on Friday.
Andre Iguodala chipped in 16 points as Philadelphia (41-39) snapped a three-game losing streak and stayed one-half game behind New York for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Jerryd Bayless had 24 points and eight assists for Toronto (21-58), which has lost three straight games and nine of its last 10.
Philadelphia led by as many as 15 points in the first half but was leading by just two when Iguodala hit a 3-pointer with 6:01 remaining to start a 12-5 run. Young’s layup with 3:06 left culminated the spurt and gave the 76ers a 94-85 advantage.
Toronto pulled within 96-93 with 28.9 seconds left after back-to-back baskets by Bayless. The Raptors had a chance to tie, but Bayless missed a 3-point attempt with 3.9 seconds left and Philadelphia’s Jrue Holiday (13 points, 11 assists) sank a pair of free throws to finish it.
Young scored nine points during a 17-2 first-half run that saw the 76ers take a 33-18 lead with 10:33 left in the half.
Ed Davis had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Reggie Evans grabbed 15 rebounds for Toronto, which played without center Andrea Bargnani (ankle) and point guard Jose Calderon (hamstring).