Tyrese Maxey, Sixers expect desperate response from Raptors in Game 4
TORONTO — The Philadelphia 76ers are in an excellent position in their first-round series with the Toronto Raptors. Thanks to the heroics of Joel Embiid in Game 3, the Sixers hold a 3-0 stranglehold in this series and are one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
However, the Raptors are not going to just lie down. They will be playing for their season on Saturday, and they will certainly give Philadelphia a battle. They led Game 3 by 17 points before Embiid and the Sixers found a rhythm and started their comeback.
Tyrese Maxey, who has been excellent in this series, understands the Raptors are going to push back even harder in Game 4.
“We know it’s gonna be a dog fight coming in here Saturday afternoon,” said Maxey. “We know it. Again, they’re gonna go on runs, it’s their building, it’s gonna get loud, fans are gonna get into it, and I think we just gotta weather the storm. Keep weathering the storm, take care of the ball, defend, guard our yard, and do whatever it takes to win the game.”
Toronto played very well in Game 3, but it fell to one of the game’s best players, Embiid. There is no doubt the Raptors are going to play even better to force a trip back to Philadelphia for a Monday game.
“It’s the playoffs,” said coach Doc Rivers. “You gotta expect the other team’s best. You really do. You gotta expect them to make the play and then you gotta win anyway. That’s gotta be our mindset.”
The last time Philadelphia swept a playoff series was in 1991 when they took out the Milwaukee Bucks, 3-0. The Sixers had a chance to sweep their first-round series in 2021 with the Washington Wizards, but they couldn’t finish it off.
Saturday with the Raptors will offer them another chance.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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