Toronto Raptors: To beat Philly, the Raptors need their third star to step up

If the Toronto Raptors are going to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, they’re going to need their third star to step up on the road

After a huge Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers to open their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup, the Toronto Raptors followed their impressive performance in the opening game to lay an egg in the first half of Game 2 which led to the series being tied at 1-1 through the first two games of the series.

The Raptors made the game interesting in the second half, but ultimately ran out of gas and could not overcome their poor start to the game. Nevertheless, the Raptors will now head into Game 3, in Philadelphia, with the need to win at least one in order to avoid the edge of elimination.

However, winning in Philadelphia could be easier said than done. During the regular season, the Sixers were 31-10 at home. Even though they lost a home game to Brooklyn during the first round of the playoffs, it’s going to take a third star to step up from Toronto.

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Through the first two games, there’s not much more Kawhi Leonard could really do. After Game 2, Kawhi is averaging 40 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 62 percent shooting from the field. Toronto’s second-best player, Pascal Siakam has almost been as good. Through two games, he’s averaging 25 points and seven rebounds on 58 percent shooting from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.

The dynamic duo was enough to overcome the pesky Nets in the first round, but if the Raptors are going to get by the loaded Sixers – even with a not 100 percent Joel Embiid – they’re going to need their third star to step up – even more so when the team hits the road.

To put this in perspective, let’s discuss a few of the numbers.

In Game 1, the Raptors won the game by 13 points. Easy win, right? Well, not exactly. No Raptor scored in double-figures other than Siakam and Leonard. The team’s dynamic duo accounted for 74 of the team’s points. The third leading scorer was Kyle Lowry, who finished with nine points. In comparison, the Sixers had six players in double-figures.

In Game 2, in which the Raptors lost by five, the Raptors’ scoring was a bit more balanced but still only had three players score in double-figures. Even though Lowry scored 20 points, which the team could seriously use more of moving forward, the team as a whole shot just 36 percent from the field.

After the team’s Big Three, though, the combination of Marc Gasol, Danny Green, Norman Powell, and Serge Ibaka accounted for just 13 points in Game 2. That won’t cut and didn’t which is why this series is tied at one game apiece as it shifts to Philadelphia.

It would be somewhat unfair to throw the onus on the team’s supporting cast, especially on the road. Historically, role players don’t exactly rise to the occasion in road playoff games. Of course, you have your exceptions from time to time. Those situations generally happen at home.

Which is why, assuming that it won’t be easy for Kawhi and Pascal to bring home a victory by themselves on the road, Lowry will have to step up in a big way in Game 3 and 4. The playoffs haven’t historically been kind to Lowry in the past. In fact, he’s gotten a lot of flack for falling short in some of the biggest moments of his career. But over the last few series, that narrative has begun to change.

He could cement that if he could come up big, once again, for the Raptors against the Sixers.

Toronto, for the most part, knows what they’re going to get from Kawhi and Pascal, but Lowry has been pretty up and down throughout this season and into the playoffs. If the Raptors are going to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, that needs to change.