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It feels like a trap game tonight for the Raptors, however they have proven time and time again that they are able to take care of business against the basement of the Eastern Conference. The Raps are currently riding a 13-game winning streak against the Sixers that dates all the way back to January 2013. Tonight their focus should be no different as they travel to Philadelphia to take on a hungry Sixers team who has confronted each game with a firm belief in "the Process" that has slowly begun to come into fruition.
Everyone remotely familiar with the NBA knows that the Sixers are still a ways away from becoming a playoff contender, but the addition of Joel Embiid, mixed in with real NBA players such as Ersan Ilyasova, Jared Bayless and Gerald Henderson, force other teams to take them seriously on a nightly basis. With a 6-18 record, the Sixers are clearly on route to another lottery inspired season, but when we consider that they didn't win their sixth game last season until January 20th, its clear that they have shown (small) strides of improvement.
With Embiid in the lineup for round number two and Ilyasova having an out of body experience last week, the Raptors will have to be all business tonight to avoid letting what should be their 18th win of the season slip away. In the Raptors 122-95 waxing of Philadelphia in late November, Embiid was forced to watch from the sidelines as he sat out with back-to-back game syndrome, also known as rest. Ilyasova has been leading the charge offensively for the Sixers as of late, averaging a very respectable 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals per-game on 53 percent shooting last week. The Raps will have to weather this hot hand and make sure that Ilyasova doesn't get too comfortable tonight.
And they'll have to do it all without Lucas Nogueira:
Lucas Nogueria is Not With Team (sore right knee) tonight in Philadelphia. #rtz
— RaptorsMR (@RaptorsMR) December 14, 2016
Now be sure to check out tonight's game preview from our man Kevin Nimmock in order to get yourself prepared for tonight's contest. Enjoy the game folks!