3 observations after the Sixers fell to 0-2 with the loss in Toronto

3 observations after Sixers fall to 0-2 with loss in Toronto originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

A trip to Toronto and a match against a Raptors team that went 25-57 last year didn't produce a win for the Sixers.

They dropped their first road game of the season and were 0-2 overall on Friday night, resulting in a 115-107 loss to the Raptors.

Toronto's Scottie Barnes scored 27 points and shot 8-for-11 from the floor. Jakob Poeltl contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a team-high 28 points for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points but had a poor shooting game for the second straight game: 6 for 23 from the field and 2 for 12 from beyond the arc.

Sixers stars Joel Embiid (treatment for a left knee injury) and Paul George (left knee bruise) remained out. Five Raptors were sidelined due to injuries, including RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

The Sixers face the Pacers on Sunday afternoon in Indiana. Here are observations from their loss to Toronto:

Switch up the starter

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse made two changes to his starting five on opening night. He used Raptors legend Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin and moved Eric Gordon and KJ Martin to the second unit. Maxey, Oubre and Andre Drummond remained starters.

Lowry, who started in the playoffs last year, is clearly comfortable playing alongside Maxey. At 38 years old, he's still capable of handling the ball, catching and shooting three-pointers, setting effective screens and doing just about anything Nurse imagines.

After playing 37 minutes off the bench in his Sixers debut, Caleb Martin scored 34 minutes on Friday night. Both Caleb Martin and KJ Martin spent time defending Raptors point forward Barnes.

The Sixers' defense was less than exemplary in the early going, but Maxey accounted for much of Toronto's scoring output with 13 points and five assists in the first quarter. Maxey shot more free throws in the first quarter than he did in the entire game against the Bucks on Wednesday and drew (and hit) five foul shots.

Evil trouble everywhere you look

The Sixers didn't come close to following Plan A in downtown Toronto.

Drummond got a layup from Poeltl with 8:51 left in the first quarter. He picked up his second foul of the game, which led to Guerschon Yabusele coming into the game.

Offensively, Yabusele was immediately productive. He threw down a dunk off a pick-and-roll with Maxey, and his ball screens helped the 23-year-old guard break free for consecutive pull-up threes. The second came with a well-executed double drag set.

As in the opening game, it quickly became clear that Yabusele is not used to protecting the edge as a center. Raptors second-year winger Gradey Dick went right at him in the first quarter, drawing the Frenchman's second foul and scoring a basket.

In two games, Drummond and Yabusele have committed a total of 20 fouls. Caleb Martin and Lowry also had foul trouble on Friday.

The nurse used KJ Martin in the middle for a few minutes before turning to Adem Bona. The rookie fouled Barnes after about 25 seconds on the floor.

At the 9:38 mark of the second quarter, twelve Sixers reached the court, including Reggie Jackson and Jared McCain. Nurse tried a little bit of everything in a foul-filled second period and couldn't find any good answers. The Sixers' half-court offense was laborious and relied heavily on Maxey and offensive rebounds.

Nothing for Maxey

At the start of the third quarter, life wasn't suddenly smooth for the Sixers.

Caleb Martin couldn't handle Maxey's kick-out pass to the corner and the ball spun out of bounds. Drummond was whistled for a moving screen. The Raptors guarded Maxey closely as a team and held him without a field goal in the third quarter.

The Sixers still managed to hang on, in part because Toronto suffered turnovers throughout the game. Drummond had four steals in his 22 minutes. Oubre went on the attack at the start of the third period and converted Davion Mitchell's fourth foul. The left wing also made several timely offensive plays in the third period, connecting with Drummond in an alley-oop and scoring a few shots of his own creation.

Although the Sixers reduced their deficit to two points late in the third quarter, Toronto rallied early in the fourth quarter.

Undrafted rookie Jamison Battle knocked down two three-pointers and converted an and-one shot that gave the Raptors a 98-79 lead. Toronto was the livelier team for most of the game and the Sixers failed to score any serious runs. The Raptors showed their youth at times in the final minutes, battling full-court pressure and the Sixers' zone defense, but a last-gasp comeback was not in sight.

Most of Maxey's sweaters kept falling short and he even managed to reach one with an air ball. Through two games, he is 16-for-54 (29.2 percent) from the floor.