Sixers' Recent Loss to Raptors Increases Concerning Doc Rivers Stat

The Philadelphia 76ers were on a roll to start the 2022 NBA Playoffs. After picking up back-to-back dominant wins against the Toronto Raptors to start the postseason run, the Sixers went to Toronto with a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 on the road wasn't nearly as easy for the Sixers as they trailed by as much as 17 points in the first half. When the second half rolled around, the Sixers tied the game up and forced overtime.

In the final seconds of overtime, Joel Embiid's three-point shot allowed Philadelphia to leave Game 3 with a victory. When the Sixers and the Raptors went into last Saturday's game in Toronto, Philadelphia had an opportunity to close the series out with a sweep.

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, they couldn't get it done. An eight-point loss was in store for the Sixers. While failing to pick up the sweep was slightly disappointing, the Sixers still had a prime opportunity to close out the series on Monday when they returned home to South Philly. 

Once again, the 76ers didn't look anywhere close to the best version of themselves as they were beat on both sides of the ball from start to finish. After taking on another loss, the Sixers failed to close out the first-round series once again and now face the Raptors on the road for Game 6 on Thursday.

Not only was Monday's loss disappointing for the Sixers since they failed to advance to the next round with a second chance -- but the defeat also increased a concerning statistic for Sixers' head coach Doc Rivers.

Closing Struggles

According to ESPN, Doc Rivers has lost seven of his last eight games to close out a playoff series. Four of those losses happened when Rivers was coaching the Sixers.

Last year, the Sixers had an opportunity to sweep the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. After garnering a 3-0 lead, the Sixers failed to close out the series with a sweep as they dropped Game 4.

Fortunately for Philly, they closed out the series with a Game 5 victory. After that, they went on to face the Atlanta Hawks, a series that needed seven games. The Sixers trailed and faced elimination during Game 6, but they pulled off a victory on the road to bring the series back to their home court for Game 7.

While they had an opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sixers failed to overcome the Hawks and on their second loss of the 2021 postseason in an elimination game.

When the Sixers face the Raptors for the sixth time this postseason on Thursday, they'll look to avoid dropping a third-straight matchup where a win would've allowed them to advance to the next round. 

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