Sixers Beat Raptors in Preseason Opener
The 76ers, looking to put last year behind them, are out of the gates and running after beating the Toronto Raptors 107-98 in Ontario on Tuesday night.
The Raptors, missing All Star PF and gold medalist Chris Bosh, could not match up to the Sixers’ array of offense, led by PG Lou Williams’ 17 points. SG Andre Iguodala notched 15 points and eight rebounds (despite seven turnovers), and C Samuel Dalembert even showed signs of life, scoring 10 points and grabbing six boards in slightly over 20 minutes of play.
Elton Brand, the Sixers’ 5-year, $80 million man from last season, still showed signs of rust in the game, not making a major impact on the scoreboard. The Sixers’ 23-point lead was cut to five in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers managed to hold on for the win with the Raps missing their two best players.
The Raps were also missing their prize of the offseason, F Hedo Turkoglu, who is grabbing some much needed R&R after a trip to the NBA Finals in June and playing for Turkey in the summer.
“Realistically it’s something we’ve thought about for the last week and something I’ve known was going to happen, so I’m not frustrated by it,” Toronto coach Jay Triano said. “Ideally, would we like to have them play? Yes. But I can’t worry about that now, I have to coach the 12 guys I have here and hopefully make them better today.”
