TORONTO — Scottie Barnes had 27 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Toronto Raptors held on for a 115-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Jakob Poeltl scored 19 points with nine rebounds and four blocks for Toronto (1-1). Rookie center Jonathan Mogbo came off the bench for 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to lead the Raptors reserves.

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 24 points and added four assists and two rebounds for Philadelphia (0-2). Andre Drummond had 11 points and nine rebounds

Sixers guard Kyle Lowry waved to the 18,345 fans at Scotiabank Arena between the first and second quarters as the Raptors honored former players as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations. He had 14 points and two assists.

Both teams were without some of their star players.

Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game that point guard Immanuel Quickley (right pelvic contusion) would miss the game. He joined RJ Barrett (shoulder sprain) of Mississauga, Ont., Kelly Olynyk (back) of Kamloops, B.C., Bruce Brown (arthroscopic knee surgery) and Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder sprain ) on the inactive list.

Former NBA MVP Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and nine-time All-Star Paul George (bone bruise, left knee) were both out for Philly. The NBA confirmed Thursday that it is investigating Embiid’s absence from Wednesday’s season opener as part of its player participation policy that went into effect last season.

Takeaways

76ers: Although Maxey led Philadelphia’s offense, Toronto guards Davion Mitchell and Jamal Shead still disrupted his flow. Maxey was 6 of 23 on shots from the field, including 2 of 12 on shots from beyond the arc.

Raptors: Poeltl, starting shooting guard Gradey Dick and Mitchell quickly ran into trouble as they tried to shut down the Sixers’ offense. Toronto’s bench stepped up in their absence, outscoring Philly’s reserves 41-19.

Key moment

Barnes made a three-foot layup with 10:16 left in the second quarter to give Toronto a 36-35 lead. It was the start of a 16-5 run for the Raptors in the period. Toronto held that lead for the remainder of the game, which at times was as low as two points, but they never relinquished it again.

Key statistic

Toronto’s relatively undersized forwards seemed ripe for picking Philadelphia’s six-foot-11 Drummond and six-foot-eight Kelly Oubre Jr. But Poeltl, Mogbo and six-foot-five forward Ochai Agbaji helped the Raptors put up 56 points in the paint for the 76ers’ 30. It was a sharp turnaround after Toronto managed just 38 points in the paint to 68 for Cleveland as the Cavaliers routed the Raptors 136-106 on Wednesday.

To be continued

Quickley won’t travel to Minnesota for Toronto’s game against the Timberwolves on Saturday, but Barrett will. Philadelphia visits the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 25, 2024.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press