Preview capsule for the Miami-Philadelphia Eastern Conference semifinal series that starts Sunday:
No. 1 MIAMI HEAT (53-29, 4-1) vs. No. 4 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (51-31, 4-2)
MIAMI (AP) — Joel Embiid feared this would be the case. Turns out, he was right.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced Friday night that Embiid — the NBA scoring champion and an MVP finalist — has a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pascal Siakam gave a pregame pep talk to keep the Raptors calm in a hostile Philly environment where they already lost twice and fell into a playoff hole.
TORONTO (AP) — It was a thumbs down day for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, who couldn’t complete a first-round sweep of the Toronto Raptors.
Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. made the winning layup with 4.8 seconds left and the Toronto Raptors beat the Houston Rockets 117-115 on Friday night.
Trent added 26 points for the Raptors in their home finale.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 127-121 on Thursday night to take over second place in the Eastern Conference.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 37 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his third career triple-double, Gary Trent Jr. scored 30 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-114 on Thursday night.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Scottie Barnes added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors clinched a playoff berth by beating the Atlanta Hawks 118-108 on Tuesday night.
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry kept his tears in check, then took care of his old teammates from Toronto.
Lowry had 16 points and 10 assists against his former team, Max Strus scored all of his 23 points in the second half, and the Miami Heat beat the Raptors 114-109 on Sunday night.
Orlando, Fla. (AP) — Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes scored 19 points apiece, Pascal Siakam added 16 points and 11 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 102-89 on Friday night for their fifth straight win.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 12 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists for his second career triple-double, Gary Trent Jr. scored 29 points and the Toronto Raptors strengthened their hold on sixth place in the Eastern Conference by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-102 Wednesday night.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had a season-high 40 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out, and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 115-112 in overtime on Monday night.
Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby scored 14 points apiece, Thad Young and Gary Trent Jr.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam had a season-high 40 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out, and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 115-112 in overtime on Monday night.
Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby scored 14 points apiece, Thad Young and Gary Trent Jr.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and the Toronto Raptors routed the depleted Indiana Pacers 131-91 on Saturday night in a game delayed 70 minutes in the first half because of a speaker fire that forced the evacuation of fans.
TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam matched his season high with 35 points, Chris Boucher scored 17 and the Toronto Raptors tightened the Eastern Conference playoff race by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-104 on Thursday night.
CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine each scored 26 points and Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 113-99 on Monday night.
DeRozan shot 11 for 14 as the Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak and remained in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 76ers acquired James Harden to score big baskets when the game is on the line.
He had the ball and tried, tried and tried again over the final 2:25 — and a Raptors team fighting for an Eastern Conference playoff spot kept Harden in check.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 31 points and the streaking Toronto Raptors held off a fourth-quarter comeback by the Los Angeles Clippers for a 103-100 victory Wednesday night.
The Raptors (39-30) have won five straight and went 5-1 on their road trip.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scottie Barnes scored 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter and the Toronto Raptors held off a late rally by the Los Angeles Lakers for a 114-103 victory Monday night.
The Raptors led by 24 in the first as the Lakers were soundly defeated for the second consecutive night.
DENVER (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 33 points, Scottie Barnes had 25 and the Toronto Raptors pulled away late to beat the Denver Nuggets 127-115 on Saturday night.
Chris Boucher added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, and Barnes also had 10 assists and eight rebounds.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Toronto Raptors missed Fred VanVleet for five games with a knee injury. Now that the All-Star is back, Gary Trent Jr. and the rest of the Raptors feel anything is possible.
Trent scored 42 points and the Raptors held off the NBA-leading, but short-handed Phoenix Suns 117-112 on Friday night.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Fred VanVleet had 26 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-104 on Wednesday night, delaying Gregg Popovich’s coronation as the winningest coach in NBA history.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers couldn't even celebrate a signature win. They've got another significant injury to overcome.
All-Star center Jarrett Allen reportedly suffered a fractured finger during the first quarter of Sunday's 104-96 win over the Toronto Raptors, a potentially damaging blow to Cleveland's playoff hopes.
TORONTO (AP) — Cole Anthony had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Chuma Okeke had 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat Toronto 103-97 on Friday night, snapping a nine-game losing streak against the Raptors.
TORONTO (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jerami Grant scored 26 and the Detroit Pistons held off Toronto 108-106 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory over the Raptors.
TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 and the Toronto Raptors rallied to beat Brooklyn 109-108 on Tuesday night for their second win over the struggling Nets in two days.
TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 and the Toronto Raptors rallied to beat Brooklyn 109-108 on Tuesday night for their second win over the struggling Nets in two days.