The Sixers (11-5) return to the scene where last season ended when they take on the defending champion Raptors (11-4) Monday night.
The Sixers are relatively healthy going into the matchup. Furkan Korkmaz returns after he missed Saturday's game against the Heat with a minor left ankle sprain. Backup big Kyle O'Quinn is out with a left calf strain.
Toronto on the other hand will be without Philly native Kyle Lowry (left thumb fracture), Patrick McCaw (left knee surgery) and Stanley Johnson (groin). Backup big Serge Ibaka is listed as doubtful with a right ankle sprain.
Here are the essentials for tonight's game:
When: 7:30 p.m. ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 7 p.m.
Where: Scotiabank Arena
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app
And here are three storylines for tonight's game:
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Two different teams since quadruple doink
There's been sweeping changes for both teams since Game 7 in Toronto. Kawhi Leonard, who infamously hit the shot that sent the Sixers packing, is out in L.A. with Clippers. Jimmy Butler is in Miami and JJ Redick is in New Orleans.
That doesn't mean the players that were there have forgotten what happened.
Coming off their blowout win against the Heat in which the starting five was clicking on all cylinders, Tobias Harris was asked what he was looking for heading into the game against the Raptors.
Fourth quarter, with like two seconds left, we don't want the ball to bounce 10 times and go in," Tobias Harris joked. "We really just want to continue to strive off of this win and go forward and kind of come out with that same energy, impose our will again, especially on the road - we want to be better on the road.
To Harris' last point, the Sixers are just 5-4 away from the Wells Fargo Center.
While the lineups look different, these are still two damn good teams. The Sixers have now won four straight, while the Raptors continue to play well, even with Lowry out, and have won three straight.
Embiid vs. Gasol
Marc Gasol defends Joel Embiid better than any big man in the NBA. Gasol proved that throughout last season's seven-game series. Health problems or not, Embiid has always struggled against Toronto's starting center.
Embiid hit just 37 percent in the Toronto series. That was actually up from Embiid's career mark against Gasol, which is just 34.4 percent in five career regular-season games. In their 12 head-to-head matchups, Gasol has won seven of them and Embiid has only topped 20 points three times.
Over the past few games, Embiid has done well dealing with double teams and making quick decisions. Monday's game will be an interesting test.
The rise of Siakam
Pascal Siakam scorched the Sixers for 29 points in Game 1 last postseason, but was up and down throughout the rest of the series. He averaged 17.8 points and shot just 38.5 percent in Games 2 through 7.
Though he was dealing with a calf injury, it also seemed like an adjustment Brett Brown made helped. He put Embiid on Siakam, much like he did with Giannis Antetokounmpo, which limited Siakam's ability to slash to the rim where he does most of his damage. With Embiid and Al Horford in the mix, the Sixers are even more equipped to deploy that strategy.
With that said, Siakam has taken his game to another level. The biggest improvement has been his three-point shot. He's hitting 37.6 percent on over six attempts a game. It's opened up the rest of his game.
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