Nick Nurse in a brutal quarter that doomed Philadelphia against the Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers couldn’t overcome a disastrous third quarter in Wednesday night’s 121-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Playing without Joel Embiid, Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. The short-handed 76ers remained competitive through the first half before it all unraveled when it came out of the locker room.

Despite the early energy and sharp ball movement, Philadelphia’s rhythm completely broke down after halftime as Toronto took advantage of every mistake, turning turnovers into fast break points and punishing defensive lapses. The Raptors’ relentless pace quickly shifted momentum, exposing the Sixers’ lack of depth and composure as the deficit began to grow.

PhillyVoice.com’s Adam Aaronson took to his X (formerly known as Twitter), sharing what head coach Nick Nurse he said after the game after the 76ers collapsed in the third quarter against his former team.

“A lot of bad … It was a bad start and then a bunch of turnovers … It set the tone for a really bad quarter.”

The 76ers led 56-53 at halftime, showing fight despite missing three key players. But the Raptors stormed out of the break, outscoring Philadelphia 44-28 in the third quarter behind strong play from RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram. A third-quarter surge proved decisive, as Toronto built a double-digit cushion from which the 76ers never recovered.

Tyrese McKay led Philadelphia with 24 points, while rookie VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each added 21. Still, the 76ers committed 21 turnovers – the number sister said to “set the tone” for the collapse. Their ball security issues, coupled with cold shooting and a lack of veteran depth, sealed their fate in what turned out to be another frustrating night for a team still searching for consistency.

Now 8-6 on the season, the 76ers sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. With Embiid and George continuing to recover from knee injuries, Nurse’s group has relied heavily on Maxey’s scoring and playmaking to stay afloat. Philadelphia will try to regroup on Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, hoping to shake off the loss and find a rhythm before the team’s next matchup.