Sixers Lose To Raptors, 100-84
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 18 points and 12 assists, DeMar DeRozan returned from a groin injury to score eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Toronto Raptors never trailed in a 100-84 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Amir Johnson had 10 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, Lou Williams added 19 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 to help Toronto win its sixth straight over Philadelphia and improve to 7-0 against Atlantic Division opponents.
Michael Carter-Williams scored a season-high 29 points and Nerlens Noel had 12 for Philadelphia. The 76ers lost their second straight and fell to 2-7 on the second night of back-to-backs. Philadelphia, which lost at home to Atlanta on Tuesday night, has failed to reach the 100 point mark in 15 consecutive games.
Guard Tony Wroten, Philadelphia's leading scorer, did not make the trip to Toronto after spraining his right knee Tuesday.
DeRozan received a brief standing ovation was he was introduced after missing the previous 21 games. An All-Star for the first time last season, he hadn't played since tearing a tendon in his left groin in the third quarter of a Nov. 28 home loss to Dallas when he slipped and fell on a drive to the basket.
DeRozan was 9 of 14 from the field and had four rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes.
Toronto led by 10 to begin the fourth and widened its lead on a four-point play by Williams.
K.J. McDaniels hit a jump shot and made a pair of free throws to cut it to 79-73 at 7:42, but DeRozan scored baskets on either side of a 3 by Patrick Patterson as the Raptors pulled away with a 7-0 spurt and weren't threatened again.
Toronto led 13-0 before Philadelphia's first basket, a dunk by Carter-Williams at 8:04 of the first. Williams had 11 points in the opening quarter, but Williams made a 3 at the buzzer as the Raptors led 34-19 after one.
Noel scored eight points in the second and Carter-Williams had seven as the Sixers used a 12-1 run and connected on 11 of 22 field goal attempts to cut Toronto's lead to 50-46 at halftime.
Williams scored seven points in the third and Philadelphia went scoreless for 4:26 seconds as Toronto regained its foible-digit advantage, taking a 71-61 lead into the fourth.
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