Raptors at 76ers
The Toronto Raptors attempt to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in four seasons when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers for Thursday's Game 6 of the conference semifinals. Toronto annihilated the 76ers 125-89 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead and the 36-point margin was the largest in the Raptors' postseason history.
Toronto star small forward Kawhi Leonard averaged 38 points over the first four games but only needed to contribute 21 points and 13 rebounds with Game 5 totally under control. "(Game 5) was one of those games where we let him rest a little bit, which is important," Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry told reporters. "He had a big double-double, but he didn't have to do everything offensively." Philadelphia center Joel Embiid (knee, illness) continues to labor and had just 13 points in Game 5, but among the team's problems were 19 turnovers that led to 31 Toronto points. "We've just got to do what we're supposed to go home for," swingman Jimmy Butler told reporters. "That's it. Keep competing, play hard, stick together. We win together, lose together, and we're going to play together until the end."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: Power forward Pascal Siakam posted his fourth 20-point outing of the series when he tallied 25 points in the Game 5 win. Siakam was passive in Game 4 as he dealt with a calf injury and was limited to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting but was back to his high level of energy during Tuesday's victory. "I just understand that I have to be aggressive. I can't be passive," Siakam told reporters after Game 5. "What makes me dangerous is the fact that I'm aggressive and I play fast. So, I've got to keep that. Sometimes, when you have an injury, you tend to think a lot and want to choose your spots, and it takes away from your aggressiveness."
ABOUT THE 76ERS: With Embiid again ineffective, Philadelphia dug itself a 21-point halftime deficit and never threatened to give the Raptors a battle. "I think we got hit in the mouth," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters afterward. "Toronto came in, and they hit us in the mouth. We tried to fight back, and we just didn't have the firepower on the night to respond the way that I wished that we did. ... We'll go back and look at the tape, but I think in general the Raptors had a tremendous team performance. We give them credit." Shooting guard JJ Redick also had a shaky Game 5 with three points on 1-of-6 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Butler scored 22 points on Tuesday and is averaging 25.8 points over the past four games.
2. Toronto SG Danny Green made five 3-pointers and scored a series-best 17 points in Game 5.
3. Embiid is averaging just 17 points and 7.6 rebounds in the series.