The Sports Xchange
Oct 21, 2017
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 128-94 on Saturday night to open the season with two straight wins.
Serge Ibaka added 21 points for the Raptors, Kyle Lowry had 17 points, Jakob Poeltl and Delon Wright each contributed 14 and Lucas Nogueira scored 10.
Rookie Ben Simmons had his third straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia (0-3). He also had eight assists.
Simmons became the first player in franchise history to record double-doubles in his first two career NBA games. He is the 11th NBA player to do so.
Jerryd Bayless added 16 points for the 76ers, Justin Anderson had 12 and Jahlil Okafor chipped in with 10.
The Raptors have won 16 of their past 17 games against the 76ers, including 10 straight at the Air Canada
Toronto led 36-19 after the first quarter paced by 15 points from DeRozan. The 76ers whittled the lead to eight with 2:22 to play in the first half when Bayless, a former Raptor, made two free throws.
The Raptors led 62-49 at half time with DeRozan scoring 23 points. Bayless led Philadelphia with 14 first-half points.
Toronto was 24-for-28 from the free-throw line in the first half with DeRozan going 11-for-12. Philadelphia was 12-for-18 from the line in the first half.
The Raptors struck early in the third quarter with Ibaka hitting two 3-pointers while scoring eight of the Raptors' first 10 points of the half to give them a 72-51 lead.
Toronto led by 26 points with four minutes to play in the third quarter. Lowry hit a 3-pointer to complete the scoring in the third quarter with Toronto leading 102-71.
NOTES: Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas (left ankle sprain) left the game after playing 15 minutes with an ankle injury. He had five points and four rebounds. ... Philadelphia C Joel Embiid (left knee rehabilitation) did not play Saturday as he continued to rest in the second half of back-to-back games, just as he did last season as a precaution because of past foot and knee injuries. F/C Amir Johnson, who played six seasons with the Raptors before moving to the Boston Celtics the past two seasons, started in Embiid's his place at center. ... Toronto G DeMar DeRozan started after being listed as questionable with flu symptoms. ... The 76ers will visit the Detroit Pistons for a game on Monday and the Raptors will open a six-game road trip Monday against the San Antonio Spurs.