NBA Matchups: December 22

Toronto Raptors (front end) at Philadelphia 76ers

Team Totals: Raptors 110.8, 76ers 118.8

Injury Report: Nicolas Batum (O, hamstring), De’Anthony Melton (Q, thigh), Robert Covington (P, illness)

Raptors projected starters: Dennis Schroder, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl

76ers projected starters: Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, Joel Embiid

Darko quotes: Said they tried to do a lot of things to slow down Jokic and they couldn’t really do anything about it, said they did not have energy to start the game, said no scheme can work without effort, said he liked the way their second unit played, said Jakob has been underperforming and he has to do more to get him out of his slump, said they are talking about changing the starting lineup, said he might shrink the rotation but he’s not sure if they are going to go that route.

Nurse quotes: Said Tyrese was able to “turn on the jets” when they were sending too much help to Embiid, said Embiid actually had a slower start before getting it going, said Embiid is just getting better over the course of the season, said he likes Embiid’s downhill force to score, said Melton took a knee to the thigh and they’ll re-evaluate him, said they shifted the rotation to get Tyrese and Tobias out earlier, said he liked the energy from Tobias, said he liked the Marcus Morris matchup.

Stats and Notes: 

*The Toronto beats continue to question the starting lineup, but the pressure is getting a little much with another dud game. Besides the Charlotte game, the Raptors are playing their worst defense of the year with five horrendous games in their last six. They’re not really fouling much, but teams are killing them with shooting efficiency. On the other side, Philly is playing some of their best ball of the year. Sure, their schedule was soft, but they were able to put together a strong defensive showing on top of the effective offense. They are still giving up some rim points and are a little vulnerable in transition, so maybe the Raptors can score some.

*Scottie Barnes continues his run as the lead man on the Raptors. On Wednesday, he shot it seven times off his 12 drives, and he continues to be one of the main touch guys on the team. The Raps being more open to playing smaller should also help his rebounding, and the Raptors likely have to play Barnes a ton because he’s playing so well. He’s been so expensive in DFS, but he has one of the better roles in the league right now. It’ll be some Tobias Harris, Patrick Beverley, and Kelly Oubre.

*Pascal Siakam hasn’t really seen a big role change, but his shot selection is a little better and Toronto playing smaller should also help. We saw last year that Poeltl took a big chunk of his rebounds, and Schroder’s role getting pushed down a little helps him, too. The matchup isn’t ideal with Embiid back there, and he’ll see a little bit of Marcus Morris with Kelly Oubre. I have some blowout concerns, so I’d be looking to click someone else.

*Besides those two, it’s pretty tough. Gary Trent Jr. should benefit most from a lineup shake-up, but it’s just not the right time to do it against Joel Embiid.

*Joel Embiid is having one of the most ridiculous Decembers ever with a 41/13/4 line over just 33 minutes per game this month. There’s really nothing to say, and he should absolutely wreck Jakob Poeltl. The Raptors may just go to Precious Achiuwa for something different. Embiid should keep it rolling here.

*Tyrese Maxey’s matchup is just as interesting. The Raptors continue to just use Dennis Schroder on lead handlers, and Schroder got the Maxey assignment in each of the two earlier games. He’s playing stupid minutes, and maybe the Raptors just go nuts with Embiid coverages (doubt it). I like Embiid more, but there’s a lot to like about Maxey.

*There’s just too much usage on those guys to look at Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, or De’Anthony Melton.

Great matchups: Joel Embiid

Good matchups: Tyrese Maxey, Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa, Scottie Barnes

Bad matchups: Jakob Poeltl

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Denver Nuggets (front end) at Brooklyn Nets (front end)