3 observations after post-Harden Sixers beat Raptors again, improve to

3 observations after post-Harden Sixers beat Raptors again, improve to 3-1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Make that 2-0 against Toronto.

The Sixers notched a 114-99 win over the Raptors on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center, improving to 3-1 with a second victory vs. Toronto.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. each scored 23 points. Tyrese Maxey added 18.

Scottie Barnes was the 2-4 Raptors’ top scorer with 23 points. Toronto’s Precious Achiuwa, Otto Porter Jr. and Christian Koloko were sidelined.

None of the four new Sixers following their deal to send James Harden to the Clippers played meaningful minutes Thursday. However, Robert Covington and KJ Martin did check in for a bit of garbage time.

Nicolas Batum was out because of personal reasons. Covington, Martin and Marcus Morris Sr. have had minimal time to get up to speed, but they may very well be in the mix when the Sixers play Saturday afternoon vs. the Suns.

Here are are observations on the Sixers’ victory Thursday night:

Oubre the starter, Korkmaz the rotation player 

Oubre started and drew Barnes on defense. Unfortunately for Oubre, Barnes was at his best offensively in the opening minutes.

The third-year forward scored 12 of Toronto’s first 15 points, including a wide-open transition three-pointer. Soon after, he pump faked on Oubre and drove in for a layup.

Oubre did chip in five early points of his own, but he also picked up two quick fouls and checked out under six minutes into the game.

Along with Patrick Beverley, Furkan Korkmaz then subbed in. That was a significant surprise, given Korkmaz played no rotation minutes over the Sixers’ first three games. As Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has constantly said, he’s always inclined to experiment and evaluate what he’s got.

Korkmaz played 22 minutes and finished with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and three steals. No question he boosted his chances of further rotation…