By IAN HARRISON
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds, James Harden added 22 points and 15 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 132-97 in Game 6 to end the first-round series Thursday night.
Philadelphia will face Miami in the second round. The top-seeded Heat beat Atlanta in five games.
Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points, going 5 for 12 from 3-point range, and Tobias Harris had 19 points and 11 rebounds, to help the 76ers finish off the Raptors with a blowout after losing the past two games.
Danny Green scored 12 points and shot 4 for 7 from 3-point range as the Sixers finished 16 for 40 from beyond the arc. The Raptors struggled from 3-point range, going 7 for 35.
Chris Boucher had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, Pascal Siakam fouled out with 24 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 19 and Scottie Barnes 18. Toronto lost in the first round for the first time since being swept by Washington in 2015.
Toronto played without all-star guard Fred VanVleet. He missed his second straight game because of a strained left hip flexor.
Toronto’s Precious Achiuwa had 17 points in Game 5 but didn’t score Thursday until making a free throw in the fourth quarter. Achiuwa drove for a dunk at the end of the third but the basket was waved off because it came after the buzzer. He shot 1 for 7 and scored three points.
Toronto trailed 70-67 after Siakam made a hook shot with 9:42 left in the third, but Maxey hit three 3-pointers as the 76ers broke the game open with a 17-0 run over the next four-plus minutes, opening an 87-67 lead with 5:20 left in the quarter.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse called timeout after Harden connected from distance with 3:52 left in the third, putting the Sixers up 92-70. Philadelphia took a 99-78 lead to the fourth.
PLAYING VILLAIN
After being called for a foul in the third quarter, Embiid responded to vulgar chants from the fans by cupping his hands around his ears. He did the same while heading to the bench for a fourth quarter timeout.
Boos rained down after Embiid dunked in the fourth, then ran down the court with his arms raised in the airplane celebration he used against Toronto in the 2019 playoffs.
SHOT CHART
Toronto made seven of its first eight field-goal attempts, then missed its next 10. The Raptors shot 12 for 17 in the first quarter, making 5 of 19 after their hot start.
TIP-INS
76ers: Coach Doc Rivers was called for a technical foul in the fourth for arguing that Harden had been fouled on a three-point basket. … Embiid went 9 for 10 at the free throw line, while Harden was 6 for 6.
Raptors: Siakam had seven of Toronto’s 15 assists. … Former Raptors guard Cory Joseph attended the game.
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