Joel Embiid had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Toronto Raptors 114-99 on Thursday.
Embiid was 8-of-22 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line.
Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 23 points apiece and Tyrese Maxey had 18 for the Sixers, who won their third in a row. Furkan Korkmaz also contributed 10.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. OG Anunoby added 16 points and Dennis Schroder had 13 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam was held to 10 points.
Harris stole the ball on the defensive end and took it for a dunk with 3:37 remaining, establishing a 106-92 lead. Oubre knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:30 left for a commanding 110-94 advantage.
The Sixers scored the first five points of the fourth — a converted technical foul shot by Maxey, a tip-in by Paul Reed and a floater by Korkmaz — for a 95-77 lead.
The Raptors inched closer but Siakam was whistled for a technical foul with 6:37 left and the Sixers held a 99-88 advantage. Siakam’s technical was Toronto’s fifth of the game.
Embiid began to assert himself late in the second quarter and converted a three-point play with 3:06 remaining for a 51-47 Sixers lead.
After a Raptors turnover, Korkmaz threw down a dunk and followed it with a 3-pointer from the corner for a nine-point advantage.
Embiid hit all nine of his free throws and led the Sixers with 15 points as they led 58-49 at halftime.
Barnes paced the Raptors with 14. Siakam was limited to two points on 1-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes.
Anunoby hit a layup with 4:58 left in the third to bring Toronto within 73-68. The Raptors stayed aggressive and Siakam drove to the basket and scored to close within two with 3:53 remaining.
But Oubre connected on a pair of treys in the final two minutes, and the Sixers pulled out to a 90-77 advantage at the end of the third.
–Field Level Media