Doc Rivers Credits Raptors for Being 'Tougher Team' in Game 5

The Philadelphia 76ers couldn't complete a series sweep over the weekend. As they faced the Toronto Raptors for their Game 4 matchup this past Saturday afternoon, the Sixers struggled to pick up their fourth-straight win to close out the first round.

With a 3-1 lead, the Sixers and the Raptors returned to South Philly on Monday night. A Game 5 win would've allowed the Sixers to advance. A loss would put Philadelphia on notice as the Raptors get right back in the series with an upcoming game on their home court in Toronto.

The first quarter of action on Monday night made it seem as if both teams would be trading blows in a tight matchup. But once the second quarter approached, it was clear the desperate team had the edge in the matchup as they had more urgency.

"They got everything they wanted," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers regarding the Raptors. "They got everything they wanted, and not only did they get it, but they used 23 seconds dang near every possession. They turned the game into a slow-paced slugfest."

The Sixers put up just 14 points in the second quarter after being outscored in the first 12 minutes. Going into halftime, Philly trailed double digits. While the Sixers have come out better in the second half of games in this series, they clearly didn't have the "it" factor on Monday night -- and Rivers explains what went right for the other team.

"I just thought that they were the tougher team all night," Rivers said. "They were more physical all night. I don’t think it was the second quarter. I thought it was throughout the game. I thought they attacked us, we didn’t attack back, we didn’t get in the paint enough, and it led to shots. I thought we took a lot of tough shots tonight."

Philadelphia drained just 38-percent of their shots from the field on Monday. They also lost the turnover battle by a wide margin as they lost the ball 16 times while Toronto only turned it over nine times.

From start to finish, Toronto had control of Game 5, and the Sixers simply didn't have the juice to form a comeback. In the end, the Raptors came out on top with a 103-88 victory. With that win, the Sixers and the Raptors will head back up North for Game 6.

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