Maxey, Embiid lead the 76ers to 123-112 win over the Raptors without James

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points, Joel Embiid had 20 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 123-112 on Thursday night while playing without LeBron James.

James (back) was ruled out earlier Thursday, missing his third game of the season.

Jaylen Brown added 18 points for Philadelphia, which improved to 10-3. The 76ers rebounded from Tuesday’s 123-101 loss to Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in Brown’s first game against his former team.

RJ Barrett scored 31 points and Immanuel Quickley added 25 for the short-handed Raptors, who have lost four of five.

Embiid (foot) was upgraded from questionable to available before tipoff. The 76ers got a scare in the first quarter when Embiid crumpled to the court after colliding with Quickley, clutching his right knee. But Philadelphia’s 7-foot center returned later in the period to loud cheers from the home crowd.

The Raptors, playing without Kawhi Leonard (knee) for the 10th straight game and Scottie Barnes (groin) for the fourth consecutive contest, led by as many as 16 points in the opening half.

Philadelphia took control late in the third quarter and entered the final period leading 96-87. The Raptors got within six points on Jamison Battle’s 3-pointer with 4:42 left, but the 76ers scored 10 of the next 13 points, capped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 3-pointer.

Toronto was playing the second game of a back-to-back after blowing a 22-point lead in Wednesday’s 98-93 home defeat to the Celtics.

Up next

Raptors: Host the New York Knicks on Sunday.

76ers: Host Indiana on Sunday.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Aaron Bracy, The Associated Press