The Toronto Raptors visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with both teams banged up at the center and wing positions. Philadelphia enters at 9-3 and sits half a game behind Boston atop the Atlantic Division. Toronto is 5-5 and currently fourth in the division, 3.5 games back.
The Raptors vs 76ers matchup opens the season series between the two clubs, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
Both sides arrive off losses. The 76ers dropped their last outing 123-101 to Boston on Wednesday, while the Raptors fell 118-102 to Memphis on Nov. 10. The injury list on both ends, topped by uncertainty around Joel Embiid and LeBron James in Philadelphia and the continued absence of Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes in Toronto, will shape who is available when the ball goes up.
Raptors Vs 76ers Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 12
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Raptors Outlook
Toronto is averaging 116.6 points per game, the higher scoring mark in this matchup, built on an offense that grabs 14.8 offensive rebounds a night and pushes the pace through 28.5 assists per game. RJ Barrett leads the roster at 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and he will carry a bigger offensive share with Scottie Barnes sidelined. Jakob Poeltl paces the frontcourt at 6.5 rebounds per game and projects as the starting center with both Barnes and Nate Bittle out.
The Raptors are without Barnes (groin soreness), Kawhi Leonard (knee inflammation), Trayce Jackson-Davis (illness) and Nate Bittle (foot fracture), a group that strips Toronto of frontcourt and wing depth. Jamal Shead, who leads the team with 7.0 assists per game, is expected to run the point and will need to balance ball security against a Raptors turnover rate of 13.9 per game, the higher of the two teams. Toronto has split its last four games and is coming off a 118-102 loss to Memphis, a result detailed in the Grizzlies’ win over the Raptors.
76ers Outlook
Philadelphia is 9-3 and ranks second in the Atlantic Division, trailing Boston by half a game. Tyrese Maxey leads the team at 26.7 points, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, numbers that put him atop the 76ers in scoring and playmaking. The team’s defensive rebounding, at 33.0 per game, is the clearest statistical edge over Toronto in this matchup.
Philadelphia’s health report carries the most uncertainty of the night. Joel Embiid (right leg/foot) and LeBron James (back) are both listed as day-to-day with a return date of Nov. 12, meaning their availability projects as game-time decisions. Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti are all ruled out, leaving the 76ers thin at center regardless of Embiid’s status. Philadelphia has won three of its last five games but lost its most recent outing to Boston 123-101.
Key Matchup
The frontcourt battle is the one to watch given the injury lists on both sides. Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl, averaging 6.5 rebounds, projects to see extended minutes in the paint against a 76ers group missing three centers in Bona, Barlow and Hukporti. If Embiid is unable to go, Philadelphia’s defensive rebounding advantage, 33.0 per game against Toronto’s 26.6, could be tested by a Raptors offense that already out-rebounds opponents on the offensive glass at 14.8 per game. How Philadelphia fills its center rotation without Embiid, and how much Toronto can exploit the boards, stands as the deciding factor up front.
What To Watch
The result affects positioning in a tight Atlantic Division, where Philadelphia sits 0.5 games behind Boston and Toronto is 3.5 games back in fourth. A 76ers win would keep pressure on the Celtics for first place, while a Raptors win would pull Toronto closer to the pack in the standings. Both teams are also managing multiple day-to-day and out designations, so the official injury report closer to tipoff will determine how each rotation actually looks on the floor. Toronto’s recent form includes a win over Milwaukee detailed in Raptors Beat Bucks 121-107, while the club’s last preview ahead of facing Memphis is covered in Grizzlies vs Raptors preview.
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