Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Box Score on Dec 21, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 21, 2017

PHILADELPHIA -- DeMar DeRozan scored a career-high 45 points, including five in a pivotal 10-2 flurry late in the game, as the Toronto Raptors rallied for a 114-109 victory over the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

DeRozan made 13 of21 shots from the floor and was 6 of 9 on 3-point attempts. His six triples were a career high.

Kyle Lowry added 23 points for Toronto, which erased a 22-point third-quarter deficit to win its fifth straight and 11th in 12 games.

Ben Simmons had 20 points to lead the Sixers, who were without center Joel Embiid, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, for the third straight game because of back tightness. Starting guard J.J. Redick also sat out with hamstring tightness.

Robert Covington contributed 19 points and Dario Saric had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Philadelphia, which dropped its fourth straight and its eighth in nine games.

The Sixers are 1-7 without Embiid this season.

Toronto, down 76-54 early in the third quarter, tied it later in the quarter and was within three at 100-97 with 6:09 left in the game.

DeRozan then started the pivotal run with a free throw. Lowry, fouled by Saric on a 3-point attempt, made all three of his free throws with 4:43 to play to put the Raptors up 101-100, their first lead since the first quarter.

A basket by Richaun Holmes put Philadelphia back in front, but DeRozan's foul-line jumper with 4:14 left gave Toronto the lead for good at 103-102. He added two foul shots, and a basket by Serge Ibaka gave the Raptors a 107-102 cushion with 3:19 to play.

The Sixers edged within two at 109-107 on Simmons' foul shot with 1:31 remaining, but DeRozan connected twice at the line, and OG Anunoby added another to make it 112-107.

The Sixers shot 58.7 percent from the floor to move to a 65-50 halftime lead. Covington scored 14 points in the first 24 minutes for Philadelphia, which closed the half with a 23-9 rush.

DeRozan had 24 points in the half for Toronto.

The Sixers extended their advantage to 76-54 on a 3-pointer by Covington with 9:07 left in the third quarter, but Delon Wright came off the bench to key Toronto's comeback with 12 points in the quarter.

The Raptors, who reeled off 14 straight points during one stretch, drew even on Wright's triple with 1:18 left in the quarter and were down 88-86 entering the fourth.

NOTES: Sixers rookie G/F Ben Simmons, who has been reluctant to shoot jumpers so far this season, made two early in Tuesday's loss to Sacramento and another in the first quarter against the Raptors. "I think we're going to start to see it more and more," coach Brett Brown said before the game. "You get a little bit excited when he makes them. He feels more confident more shooting them, but yeah, we need to get that part of his game going." ... Toronto coach Dwane Casey credited general manager Masai Ujiri and his staff, as well as the Raptors' player development staff, for the progress of rookie F OG Anunoby, the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft, and third-year G Norman Powell, a second-round pick in 2015 -- "diamonds in the rough," Casey said. ... Raptors G/F C.J. Miles missed his second straight game after undergoing a dental procedure.