With both the Raptors and Sixers taking care of business in the first round in five games, the two teams are set to face in the postseason for the first time in 18 years. The Sixers and Raptors will meet in the postseason for the first time in 18 years With both the Raptors and Sixers taking care of business in the first round in five games, the Eastern Conference Semifinals are now set. NBA.com is your destination for complete coverage of every series from now through the end of the NBA Finals. Series Schedule The series schedule has not been announced yet but Toronto has homecourt advantage and the series will begin at Scotiabank Arena. Game 1 - Saturday, April 27 at Toronto, Time: TBD TV: SN Game 2 - Monday, April 29 at Toronto, Time: TBD TV: TSN Network Game 3 - Thursday, May 2 at Philadelphia, 8:00 p.m. TV: SN Game 4 - Sunday, May 5 at Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m. TV: TSN Game 5 (if necessary) - Tuesday, May 7 at Toronto, TBD TV: SN Game 6 (if necessary) - Thursday, May 9 at Philadelphia, TBD TV: TSN Game 7 (if necessary) - Sunday, May 12 at Toronto, TBD TV: SN Recapping the season series Result: Raptors won 3-1 Best game: Dec. 5, 2018 - Raptors 113, 76ers 102 Best performance: Kawhi Leonard (Dec. 5, 2018) - 36 points (13-24 FG, 5-6 3P), 9 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block Of the four times the Raptors and Sixers met in the regular season, the closest meeting was decided by 11 points in early Dec. The season series opened just two weeks into the regular season when Toronto defeated Philadelphia 129-112 behind 31 points from Kawhi Leonard. Kyle Lowry (20 points, 12 assists) and Pascal Siakam (15 points, 15 rebounds) each put forth impressive double-doubles while the Sixers were led by 31 points and 11 rebounds from Joel Embiid. While Ben Simmons flirted with a triple-double (11 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds), he committed 11 turnovers on the night. The next meeting between the teams would come over a month later, and the Sixers had added Jimmy Butler to an already-talented roster. Butler made his presence felt, scoring a game-high 38 points to go along with 10 rebounds but Kawhi Leonard was too much, as he finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, five steals and a block to lead Toronto to an 11-point win. The Raptors dominated on the inside in the second meeting as Serge Ibaka finished with 18 points and eight rebounds and Jonas Valanciunas scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a reserve role; Joel Embiid scored just 10 points (on 5-for-17 shooting) and grabbed 12 rebounds. The Sixers lone win came in the third meeting of the year when the Raptors were without Kawhi Leonard. Joel Embiid (27 points), Ben Simmons (26 points) and J.J. Redick (22 points) combined to score 75 points as Philadelphia earned a convincing 126-101 win at Wells Fargo Center. The Raptors were led by 26 points from Pascal Siakam and 20 points (on 6-for-16 shooting) from a hobbled Kyle Lowry. In the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season, Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 24 points despite shooting 3-for-11 from the field as the Raptors earned a 12-point win in Philadelphia. While he had a rough shooting night, Toronto's All-Star forward converted on 16 of his 17 free throw attempts in the game to make his presence felt on the offensive end. Both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka added 20 points apiece while Pascal Siakam finished with 16 points in the win. In a losing effort, Joel Embiid scored a game-high 37 points to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks while Ben Simmons finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six turnovers. Key storyline: The Marc Gasol Effect https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/eb/f8/joel-embiid-marc-gasol-042319-ftr-nba-getty_9bftodh47q9m1xmnvrynf7w5u.jpg?t=1294628506&w=500 Both the Raptors and Sixers made a number of big moves during the regular season to bolster their respective rosters to better prepare for the postseason. Perhaps one of the biggest - quite literally - was Toronto's trade deadline move to acquire centre Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol's passing ability has paid dividends for the Raptors, as evidenced by their increased efficiency on the offensive end. On the defensive end, Gasol has done an excellent job on interior scorers, most recently playing a large role in limiting Magic All-Star centre Nikola Vucevic to 11.2 points (on 36.2 FG%) in the first round. It gets no easier this series, as Gasol will now be tasked with slowing down the Sixers All-NBA centre Joel Embiid, who averaged 24.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in their first-round series win over the Nets despite the fact he wasn't 100%. While Gasol was not yet a member of the Raptors roster for any of their four meetings with the Sixers this season, he has an impressive track record against Embiid in his career. The two have met five times and Gasol has had a hand in holding Embiid to averages of 14.0 points (on 34.4 FG%), 12.4 rebounds to go along with 4.4 turnovers per game. The Gasol-led Grizzlies were 3-2 against Embiid and the Sixers. In four games against the Raptors this season, Embiid averaged 26.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. His performance on the offensive end - and Gasol's ability to slow him down - could very well be what swings this series. Three Players to Watch Kawhi Leonard vs. Philadelphia in 2018-19 (three games): 30.3 points (48.1 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 90.9 FT%), 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 2.7 assists Leonard made his presence felt in the three games in which he took the floor against Philadelphia this season. Starting with a 31-point performance early on in the year, Kawhi was the Raptors leading scorer each time they defeated the Sixers. Perhaps the most eye-popping stat from Leonard's three games against Philly this season derives from his ability to get to the line - Leonard averaged 11.0 free throw attempts through the three games, thanks in part to his going 16-for-17 from the line in a win in early Feb. After averaging 27.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the Raptors first-round series win over the Magic, playoff Kawhi is in full effect; he'll look to continue his stellar play in the second round. Ben Simmons vs. Toronto in 2018-19 (four games): 16.3 points (62.8 FG%), 9.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 6.3 turnovers Ben Simmons has an opportunity to reverse some recent misfortune that he's had against Leonard and the Sixers. While the Sixers 23-year-old All-Star put up impressive numbers on efficient shooting splits, he has a clear issue with turning the ball over against Toronto. To open the season, Simmons committed a career-high 11 turnovers as the Raptors defence stifled him throughout the night. Turnovers have been a season-long issue for the Sixers and it all begins with their point guard, who dictates the pace of the game with his unique blend of size, speed and playmaking ability. In Philly's three losses to Toronto, Simmons averaged 8.0 turnovers per game; he committed just one turnover in their win. Kyle Lowry vs. Philadelphia in 2018-19 (four games): 16.8 points (40.7 FG%, 34.4 FG%), 6.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals There's no question that Lowry, a proud native of North Philly, will be amped up for an opportunity to play postseason basketball in his hometown. During the regular season, Lowry appeared in all four games against the Sixers and scored exactly 20 points in all games except one. The All-Star guard's worst scoring performance against Philly came during his early December slump, as he finished with just seven points (on 2-for-8 shooting), four assists and three steals. Lowry's grit and ability to score can give the Sixers problems on the defensive end and could also be just what the Raptors need to steal a game at Wells Fargo Center. In his most recent game in Philadelphia, Lowry scored 20 points while connecting on five of his nine 3-point attempts and dished out six assists. Fast Facts - Philadelphia has advanced to the second round in consecutive years for the first time since doing so in 2000 and 2001. - Toronto has now advanced past the first round for four consecutive seasons. - This is the second postseason meeting between the Raptors and Sixers, and the first since the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals. In that series, Allen Iverson and Vince Carter were engaged in one of the best duels in NBA history and Philadelphia won in seven games. - The Sixers have lost 13 straight games at Scotiabank Arena - their last road win over the Raptors came on Nov. 10, 2012. - Including the postseason, the Raptors are 34-10 at home while the Sixers are 22-21 on the road; home-court advantage could prove to be a big aspect of this series.<doc-sep>The Philadelphia 76ers will begin their second-round series against the Raptors in Toronto this weekend as the NBA playoffs enter high gear. If you're in the Philadelphia area and you want a free beer for the game, the Sixers are partnering with Coors Lite to make it happen. “After the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets in the First Round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the team and Coors Light — an Official Partner of the 76ers — announced today the 'This Round On Us' playoff campaign," the Sixers said in a statement. "This first-time campaign gives all fans 21 and older the chance to receive one Coors Light before the start of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at participating locations in the Philadelphia market." A total of 17 locations in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs will participate in the promotion by giving out tokens to fans starting one hour before tip-off and running until halftime. Here's where you can get your free beer: • Fox and Hound – 1501 Spruce St., Philadelphia • Maggie’s Waterfront Cafe – 9242 N. Delaware Ave., Philadelphia • Bar-Ly Chinatown – 101 N. 11th St., Philadelphia • JT Brewski’s Pub – 510 S Oak Ave, Primos, PA • Chickie’s & Pete’s (7 locations) – 1526 Packer Ave., Philadelphia; 2999 Street Rd., Bensalem; 11000 Roosevelt Blvd., Philadelphia; 500 Easton Rd., Warrington; 4010 Robbins Ave., Philadelphia; 5035 Township Line Rd., Drexel Hill; 675 Shannondell Blvd., Norristown; • PJ Whelihan’s Pub + Restaurants (6 locations) – 4803 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square; 853 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown; 1347 Wilmington Pike, West Chester; 799 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell; 12 General Warren Blvd., Malvern; 180 Mill Rd., Oaks The dates and times for Game 1 and the rest of the series has not been announced yet, but we'll update the story when the NBA releases the second-round playoff schedule.<doc-sep>
The Philadelphia 76ers can’t afford to lose Mike Scott for an extended period of time. When the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Tobias Harris at the deadline, many viewed Mike Scott as a throw-in. He was an expiring contract who, despite efficient three-point shooting, received limited minutes in L.A.’s deep second unit. Scott has since blossomed into the Sixers’ best reserve, hitting triples, playing tough defense and fitting in with the Philly culture. As the crew mentioned in Ep. 3 of The Sixer Sense Podcast, Scott is “one of us.” The first round wasn’t pretty for Scott, as he averaged just 5.8 points on 26.1 percent three-point shooting. Even with his struggles, though, the series doesn’t end in five games without Scott’s presence. It was his game-deciding three late in Game 4 that cemented the Sixers’ gentleman’s sweep. Brett Brown has trimmed his rotation to eight in the postseason, with Game 1’s loss being the lone anomaly. One might argue it’s 8.5, as Brown hinted at before the postseason, since Jonah Bolden and T.J. McConnell have still seen very sparse minutes. The Sixers’ only reliable bench pieces against Brooklyn were Scott, James Ennis and Boban Marjanovic. Scott’s importance will only rise against Toronto, a series Boban will not fare well in. Philadelphia is painfully low on bench firepower, and Scott will need to step up in a big way. Assuming neither Boban nor Bolden can find their footing against the Raptors’ versatile offense, Scott will need to assume his biggest role yet. He’s already the Sixers’ primary backup four, but Brett Brown might need to hand him minutes at the center position as well. Scott isn’t an elite defender, but he’s mobile and plays with grit. That’s enough to make him semi-successful against bigger frontcourt opponents, especially when sharing the floor with Ben Simmons, who can also defend fives. The Sixers will need to play to both their size and versatility against Toronto, unleashing switch-heavy schemes that don’t have numerous exploitable entities. Covering up J.J. Redick will prove difficult, but keeping Boban on the floor could prove insurmountable. With all that said, the biggest factor in Scott’s second-round performance will be health. He needs to be available. Scott left Game 5 with a right heel contusion, walking gingerly to the locker room. Contusions aren’t considered serious, but there could be lingering soreness that stretches into next series. If Scott isn’t on point, the Sixers will have trouble keeping pace with Toronto. Being able to stagger five elite offensive talents is helpful, but it won’t matter if one of the few serviceable bench pieces can’t make an impact. The Raptors will unleash Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet and other capable pieces in the second unit. It’s perhaps their biggest advantage on paper, although it’s certainly not their only advantage. Scott, more so than anyone else, will be leaned on to keep the second unit competitive. Also, as a brief aside, the Sixers will need versatile defenders. Zhaire Smith should suit up over Greg Monroe or Furkan Korkmaz. His skill set is tailor-made for this series, facing a Raptors team with multiple high-level creators and shooters. There should be more updates on Mike Scott’s condition ahead of Game 1 in Toronto. His presence will be uncomfortably (and unavoidably) integral to the Sixers’ aspirations.