TORONTO _ The 76ers are three games into one of their most anticipated seasons. Yet so far, the only differences from the previous campaigns are a few new faces donning the uniform.
The Sixers still turn the ball over at a high rate, shoot a bunch of 3-pointers, struggle to defend and have an injured first-round pick. And also like last season, their franchise player hasn't been cleared to participate on back-to-back nights.
So as much as things have changed they basically remained the same. With that, it wasn't surprising that they fell, 128-94, to the Toronto Raptors Saturday night at Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors (2-0) have won 16 of the team's last 17 meetings _ including 10 straight in Toronto.
Meanwhile, this marked the 11th consecutive loss for the Sixers (0-3) dating back to last season. They'll get a chance to snap that skid on Monday against the Detroit Piston at Little Caesars Arena.
Joel Embiid is scheduled to be back with the team for the game. The center didn't make the trip to Canada due to not being cleared to play on consecutive nights. He had 11 points and 14 rebounds in Friday night's setback to Boston Celtics.
Embiid hasn't been cleared to play on back-to-back nights this season while recovering from knee surgery. He didn't play on consecutive night last season while recovering from two foot surgeries that cost in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
But it might not have matter if he played Saturday. The Raptors had a 31-point lead late in the third quarter.
The Sixers defense was non-existent, as Raptors kept blowing by the players attempting to guard them. They committed a season-high 20 turnovers. And Markelle Fultz had another horrid foul-shooting display due to a sore right shoulder.
The first overall pick in June's NBA draft made 4 of 8 free throws. One of his attempts clanked to the left on the rim. He also shot 1 for 5 from the field en route to finishing with four points.
He joins Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor and former Sixers Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams as prominent players to have injuries during their first year as professionals.
On the bright side, Simmons, who missed last season with a fractured foot, extended his team record of double-doubles to start a career at three. He also becomes the sixth NBA player to start a career with three double-doubles.
The point guard had a team-high 18 points and game highs of 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Jerryd Bayless added 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
With Embiid out, the Sixers finally played Okafor. He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 22:09 off the bench.
The third overall pick in the 2015 draft is 258 pounds after shedding 20 pounds on a vegan diet. The weight loss has enabled him to be more mobile and to keep up with the Sixers' up-tempo style. Okafor has also incorporated a 3-pointer into his game and improved his defense.
Yet, he's basically an afterthought who the team has been looking to trade for over a year.
"I'm trying to deal with it," Okafor said of not playing. "I'm trying to realize that this is not going to be my situation for the rest of my career. I have to make sure whatever happens, I'm still working out hard, making sure I'm ready and prepare for it the best that I can.
"So my main mindset is I know this is not where I'm going to be the rest of my career."
However, he was a bit too aggressive on the defensive end on early on Saturday night.
Okafor picked up three fouls in his first 2:49 of action.
Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan had a game-high 30 points. Power forward Serge Ibaka added 21 points while making 5 of 9 3-pointers. Point guard Kyle Lowry, a North Philly native and Villanova product, added 17 points.
