The Raptors Are One Game Away From The Conference Finals After A Blowout Game 5 Win Over The Sixers

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of making the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history. In what might have been their best all-around performance of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, Nick Nurse’s squad absolutely throttled the Philadelphia 76ers in front of an electric crowd at Scotiabank Arena, picking up a 125-89 win to take a 3-2 series lead.

Nothing about this series has been pretty. It’s been the kind of knockdown, drag out basketball that harkens back to the days before the league’s current pace-and-space era, one in which physicality and toughness oftentimes win out over skill and finesse. The first quarter was a microcosm of this — it wasn’t particularly pretty, and every basket that fell looked like it was hard-earned.

Kyle Lowry came up big in the early going for Toronto. The team’s much-maligned point guard got off to a good start early on, going for eight points as the Raptors led by one at the end of the quarter. Pascal Siakam’s nine point led the way, while Kawhi Leonard did all the stuff that makes him such a special player, compensating for an off quarter (five points on 2-for-6 shooting) with seven rebounds and a steal.

While Joel Embiid looked a bit sluggish due to an illness and Ben Simmons’ effectiveness was limited due to two early fouls, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris picked up the slack. Both had seven points to start the game, which was especially big news for the latter, as Harris had come under scrutiny thus far in the series amid issues with knocking down shots.

Philly kept things close at the start of the second quarter, but eventually, Toronto opened the floodgates. The Raptors ended the half on a 15-4 run, played some of their most stifling defense of the year, and got damn near whatever they wanted on the offensive end of the floor. While the Sixers have plenty of firepower, they just could not get anything going — only Butler, Harris, and Simmons were able to score, going 6-for-20 from the field as a team in the quarter and 0-for-8 from three.

On the other end of the floor, Toronto looked crisp, moving the ball with aplomb and blowing by Philly’s players. A 37-point frame gave them a convincing 64-43 lead heading into the break, with Leonard putting the ultimate exclamation point on the team’s dominance during the first 24 minutes. Watch as he runs off of a pair of screens — first by Siakam, then a beautifully clever one by Lowry — to get to the rim, dunk through challenges by Harris and James Ennis, and cause Scotiabank Area to nearly collapse in on itself.

Philadelphia is an awfully good basketball team, one that is able to rally back from deficits behind arguably the best starting lineup in the league. This was reinforced right away in the third quarter — the 76ers came out of the locker room and ripped off an immediate 10-2 run. Groans were let out around the arena by Raptors fans returning from the halftime break and seeing the score, but as they got settled back into their seats, Toronto put their collective foot on the gas.

After a layup by Embiid cut the lead to 13, the Raptors responded with 10 unanswered points in a hair over one minute of game time. Whether it was Danny Green finally catching fire from three or relentless attacking from Leonard, Lowry, or Siakam, the Toronto offense that was among the league’s most deadly came alive for the first time in the series.

It didn’t take long into the fourth quarter for both teams to admit the Raptors’ win had become inevitable. Just after the 9-minute mark of the frame, all of Philadelphia’s starting lineup had hit the bench for the remainder of the night. Two minutes later and Toronto did the same in response, leaving the backups to see out a win barring a Sixers miracle that never materialized.

Siakam was masterful, leading the way for the Raptors with 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Lowry’s 23-point, six-assist, five-rebound proved to be monumental, as did 20 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and two steals from Leonard. And when the Gasol and Ibaka combo combine for 21 points, Toronto is awfully hard to beat. On the other side of the coin, Butler stuffed the stat sheet (22 points, seven dimes, five boards) and Harris had 15 points and six rebounds, but beyond that, there wasn’t much to celebrate. Of particular concern was Embiid having more turnovers (eight) than made baskets (five) and Simmons and Redick combining for 10 points.

Now, all eyes are on how Philly will respond in front of what surely will be a raucous home crowd at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Embiid’s health will be at the forefront, while the Sixer faithful will certainly want to see bounce back games for Redick and Simmons. If those things don’t happen, those gathered around Toronto, clad in the red, white, and black (or if you’re a longtime fan, purple) will have reason to celebrate, as the Raptors will make their long-awaited return to the Eastern Conference Finals.