Raptors vs 76ers: Injury Updates, Team News, Match Preview & Predictions

Fixture: Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers

When: Monday, November 25, 2019, 7:30 PM EST (Tuesday, 12:30 AM GMT)

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto.

Preview-

Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers sit fourth and fifth respectively in the Eastern Conference with 11 wins each.

In their previous game, the 76ers won 113-86 against Miami Heat, with Josh Richardson scoring 32 points. Joel Embiid led the 76ers in rebounds with 11 in the game, including three offensively.  Ben Simmons led Philadelphia in assists in the game with 7 while playing a total of 27 minutes. These have been important players for Philadelphia throughout the season. In their 11-5 record in the season so far, Joel Embiid has averaged 22.8 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game- the highest in both categories. With 7.9 assists per game, Ben Simmons leads for the 76ers on the season.

Toronto Raptors, like the 76ers, will be coming into the game after winning their last game against the Atlanta Hawks with a score of 119-116. Pascal Siakam led the way for Toronto on offense with 34 points, as he has been doing throughout the season with 25.7 points per game. Siakam’s all-round performance will be the key to Toronto. Apart from points per game, he alslo leads the Raptors in rebounds per game with 8.5.  Fred VanVleet leads Toronto in assists per game as he is averaging 7.7, as the Raptors await the return of Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka.

The Raptors, with a win-loss record of 11-4 on the season, are 2nd place in the Atlanta Division, just above their Monday’s opponents.

Injury updates & team news-

The Raptors have had a few injury issues this season, but have managed to not let it affect their performance significantly. Coming into Monday’s game, they have five players in the injury list. Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, who were injured in the same game, are yet to recover, and are listed as out against Philadelphia along with Patrick McCaw. Two other player, Shamorie Ponds and Dewan Hernandez, are listed as day to day.

For Philadelphia, the injury list is smaller with Marial Shyok and Furkan Korkmaz listed as day to day.

Predictions-

A tight contest awaits on Monday with very little to separate between the teams on paper. It could be a contest that might go down deep into the fourth quarter and the result might depend on who blinks first under pressure.