Embiid, Sixers Soar Past Raptors With Dominant Win

After putting themselves in a position to sweep the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers fell into a bit of a slump.

An eight-point loss during Game 4 allowed the Toronto Raptors to get on the board. And a gentleman's sweep wasn't in the cards for the Sixers as they dropped Game 5 in South Philadelphia with a disappointing 15-point loss.

With the series down to 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Toronto, the Sixers left many fans uneasy as a loss on Thursday night would force a Game 7. However, the Sixers remained confident in their ability to close out the series on the road.

As expected, the Raptors weren't looking to go down without a fight at first. Although the Sixers had an impressive first quarter led by James Harden, the Sixers and the Raptors were neck and neck through the first quarter of action.

When the second quarter rolled around, Danny Green led the charge for Philly as he scored 12 points in ten minutes by lighting it up from beyond the arc.

Although the Raptors outscored the 76ers in the second quarter, Philly still had a one-point lead going into the half. Considering Thursday was an elimination game for one of the teams, it was expected to be a tight battle throughout the night.

But the Sixers didn't want to toy around with the competition. Philadelphia's second-year guard Tyrese Maxey remained on the floor for the entire third quarter in the second half. As he knocked down four of his six shots, with three of his attempts coming from beyond the arc, Maxey collected 15 of the Sixers' 37 third-quarter points.

As the Sixers exploded on offense to start the second half, they held the Raptors to just 17 points as they struggled by shooting only 26-percent from the field. 

By the time the Sixers and the Raptors entered the fourth quarter, Philadelphia had a notable 99-78 lead. While no lead is safe in the NBA Playoffs, the Sixers did all they could to secure their spot out in front. And once again, they dominated the Raptors on both sides of the ball in the final quarter. 

The Sixers beat the Raptors with ease on Thursday night as they collected a 132-97 victory. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with a game-high of 33 points in 35 minutes. Meanwhile, Maxey and Harden thrived and combined for 47 points on the offensive end as the Sixers cruised past Toronto and put the Raptors away for good.

Now that the Sixers are finished with their first-round opponent, they'll gear up for a second-round matchup against the Eastern Conference's top seed, the Miami Heat.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.