The 2025 NBA draft lottery will be held in exactly two months.
As the Sixers and Raptors faced off Wednesday, it was logical to keep that night in mind.
With a 118-105 road loss, the Sixers fell to 22-43 this season and Toronto moved to 23-43. The Nets sit at 22-43 after losing Tuesday to the Cavs.
Finishing below the Raptors and Nets would not at all guarantee the Sixers keep their top-six protected first-round pick, but it would improve the odds.
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Quentin Grimes again led the Sixers, posting 29 points. He’s racked up 89 over his last three games.
Jeff Dowtin Jr. recorded a career-high 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Toronto had three 20-point scorers in A.J. Lawson (28), Jared Rhoden (25) and Orlando Robinson (25).
Both sides had a heap of players on the sidelines. The following Sixers were out:
- Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain and right finger sprain)
- Paul George (left groin soreness)
- Guerschon Yabusele (right knee soreness)
- Kyle Lowry (right hip injury)
- Joel Embiid (season-ending left knee injury)
- Eric Gordon (season-ending right wrist surgery)
- Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery)
The Sixers will host the Pacers on Friday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Raptors:
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Sixers’ offense flounders early
Grimes’ first jumper of the evening went in and out. He promptly drained the next one and continued to confidently find buckets for himself.
Overall, each team had frigid shooting starts. That wasn’t a shocker; the Sixers entered the night ranked 24th in the NBA in three-point percentage and the Raptors ranked 23rd.
Toronto missed its first six long-range attempts. The Sixers began 4 for 16 from the floor and 2 for 13 from beyond the arc. Kelly Oubre Jr. also missed two straight free throws in the first quarter.
On top of their shooting struggles, the Sixers committed a few sloppy, costly turnovers. Grimes’ fourth giveaway led to an easy Lawson layup in the second quarter that extended Toronto’s lead to 41-29. Lawson’s hoop gave the Raptors a 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Grimes' ultra-productive March
The Sixers’ deficit expanded quickly around the midpoint of the second quarter.
They settled for jump shots early in the shot clock and allowed Toronto to generate plenty of comfortable looks on the other end. Following a Grimes mid-range miss and Rhoden triple, the Raptors’ lead was 57-35.
Grimes scored the next six points, hitting a tightly contested baseline jumper and converting two layups. He’s done impressive work lately scoring off his own steals and finishing savvily in transition.
Grimes’ persistence has also stood out. Instead of being deflated by the situation, he’s frequently raised his level in moments where the Sixers have seemed out of the game and borderline singlehandedly chopped off a chunk of the team’s deficit.
Through seven March games, these are Grimes’ stats:
- 26.1 points per game
- 53.5 field goal percentage
- 38.9 three-point percentage
- 2.1 steals per game
Dowtin and Bona standouts off the bench
The Sixers used five players off the bench Wednesday, although Lonnie Walker IV only played 20 seconds.
Walker leaped up to grab a defensive rebound, got fouled by Colin Castleton and then hit the back of his head on the floor with 6:24 left in the first quarter. He did not return. According to the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast, Walker passed initial concussion testing.
Adem Bona again served as Andre Drummond’s backup and had a strong outing with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, nine rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes. The rookie big man’s notched three consecutive double-figure scoring games and gone 10 for 12 from the field over his last two contests.
Bona’s made major improvements recently at playing active, basket-erasing defense without ceding
unnecessary fouls. Late in the third quarter, Bona swiped a steal and then punctuated a one-man fast break by throwing down a powerful lefty slam.
The Sixers forced a ton of Raptors turnovers in the third quarter and trimmed their deficit as low as three points. Dowtin reached his fourth straight double-digit scoring performance and produced at all three levels.
In contrast to Bona and Dowtin, Ricky Council IV had a rough shooting game. He went 3 for 14 from the field and scored 11 points in his 33 minutes.
Ultimately, the Raptors righted the ship in the fourth quarter to rise above the Sixers in the Eastern Conference standings ... and below them in the draft lottery odds picture.
