The Raptors today won 110-102 at home against the 76ers to secure their first playoff win of the season, rewriting the big score to 1-3 and avoiding being swept away.
In this game, Siakam performed brilliantly, playing 43 minutes, shooting 10 of 19, including 1 of 4 three-pointers and 13 of 15 free throws, with 34 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, scoring a new playoff career high. In the final quarter, Siakam shot 3-of-7, constantly causing fouls to go to the free throw line, 9 of 11 in the quarter, and cut 15 points.
Trent played 39 minutes today, shooting 8-of-20, 3-of-10 from three-point range, 5-of-5 from the free throw line, and had 24 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
On the 76ers side, Harden played 42 minutes, shooting only 5 of 17, including 8 of 8 three-pointers, 10 of 11 free throws, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 13 blocks, a plus-minus -14 game-low. Embiid played with an injury, played 40 minutes, 7-of-16 shooting, had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, and also made five turnovers.
For the 76ers, losing today's game is nothing, that is, they have no chance to sweep, they already have the game point, and they can win one more game to advance. Considering that their head coach is Rivers, though, a 3-1 lead is extraordinary.
In his coaching career, Rivers has been reversed many times in the case of a big lead, including three 3-1 leads, three 3-2 leads, and one 2-0 lead.
During His time at the Hands of the Magic, Rivers was reversed in 2003 with a 3-1 lead against the Pistons. During his coaching time with the Celtics, two consecutive losses were reversed in 2009 when he led 3-2 against the Magic, two consecutive losses were reversed in 2010 when he led 3-2 against the Lakers, and two consecutive losses were reversed in 2012 when he led 3-2 against the Heat.
During his coaching time with the Clippers, three consecutive losses were reversed in 2015 against the Rockets with a 3-1 lead, four consecutive losses were overturned in 2016 against the Blazers with a 2-0 lead, and three consecutive losses were reversed in 2020 when they led 3-1 against the Nuggets.
After coaching Rivers at the beginning of last season, Rivers was also reversed by the Hawks twice in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and was eventually eliminated 3-4, missing the Eastern Conference Finals, all of which is related to Rivers.
However, the 76ers came to 3-1 from a 3-0 lead, and no team in NBA history has completed a 0-3 reversal, so the 76ers should still be relatively stable, but they also have hidden dangers, because Embiid suffered an injury. With the intervention of injuries, the variables are very large.