Young Scores 17 Points As 76ers Beat Raptors 93-75
TORONTO (AP) — Thaddeus Young scored 17 points, Nikola Vucevic had 12 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 93-75 on Wednesday night, an important victory in their chase of a playoff berth.
Elton Brand scored 11 points and Andre Iguodala, Spencer Hawes and Louis Williams each had 10 as the 76ers avenged a 21-point home loss to Toronto last Wednesday, a game in which the Raptors held the Sixers to 22 points in the second half, and just seven points in the fourth quarter.
This time, the 76ers blew the game open in the fourth, outscoring Toronto 30-18 and coasting to victory thanks to an 11-0 run. The Raptors went scoreless for 4:16 late in the game.
Jrue Holliday had eight points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Sixers, who strengthened their hold on seventh place in the East.
Just as he did in Tuesday's win at New Jersey, Sixers coach Doug Collins held Hawes and Evan Turner out of the starting lineup, replacing them with Vucevic and Jodie Meeks.
Ed Davis had 13 points and 13 rebounds, Alan Anderson scored 13 points and DeMar DeRozan added 11 as Toronto lost its fourth straight. Gary Forbes had 10 points.
The Raptors were without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, who remains sidelined with a strained left calf, for a second straight game. It's the same injury that forced Bargnani to miss 27 games earlier this season.
Tied at 20 after one quarter, Philadelphia got six points from Williams and five from Young in the second to open a 42-37 lead at the half.
The 76ers pulled farther away with a 9-0 run to start the third, taking a 51-37 lead with 9:24 left. But Anderson led the Raptors back, scoring eight points as Toronto cut the gap to 63-57 heading to the fourth.
One week after Jose Calderon caught an accidental elbow from Brand in Toronto's win at Philadelphia, the Spanish guard was smacked in the right eye again in this one, forced to the locker room for three stitches after a collision with Holliday in the third. Calderon returned to the bench in the fourth but did not re-enter the game.
Philadelphia lost Young early in the fourth when he was accidentally poked in the eye by Davis as they battled for a rebound under the Toronto basket. Young returned to the game after receiving treatment.
Toronto forward Linas Kleiza left the game at halftime with a sore right knee and did not return.
NOTES: The 76ers had 27 assists to Toronto's 18 and improved to 30-10 in games when they have more assists than their opponent. They are 1-17 in games when they have as many or fewer assists. ... Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero attended the game.
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