Richardon, 76ers stomp past Raptors

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson admitted he was "a little wobbly" after he was accidentally stomped in the head during the third quarter of Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Raptors.

His team wasn't doing all that well, either.

Both recovered, and Richardson contributed the go-ahead three-point play with 1:54 left to propel the Sixers to a 106-98 victory.

"This is a win I told our guys to remember," Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. "That could have been an easy loss. ... We had a lot of fight in the fourth quarter. I was very proud of them."

Nick Young and Thaddeus Young each scored 10 points in the final period as the Sixers (7-4) outscored Toronto 33-18 en route to their third straight victory.

Nick Young finished with 23 points off the bench. Richardson scored 21, and Jrue Holiday had 19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young scored 18.

Toronto guard Kyle Lowry accidentally stepped on Richardson after the Philadelphia guard fell to the court with 5:33 left in the third quarter. Richardson had to be helped to the bench, and he didn't return until 9:34 remained in the game.

"All I remember is my head hitting, trying to get up and everything was spinning," he said. "I took my first shot (after returning), and I couldn't focus too much, trying to find which rim to shoot at, but after a while it came right back to me."

Richardson snapped a 96-96 tie when he drove the right baseline and scored as he was fouled by Amir Johnson.

Richardson added a 3-pointer from the right corner on the Sixers' next possession. Thaddeus Young's basket off an offensive rebound capped the decisive 8-0 flurry and gave the Sixers a 104-96 lead with 1:06 left.

Philadelphia trailed by 11 points in the third quarter, and they still faced a seven-point deficit with 8:47 left in the game.

Nick Young scored eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Thaddeus Young added six points during the 14-5 run that gave the Sixers a 94-92 lead with 3:17 left.

The game was tied twice before Richardson's three-point play.

Afterward, Nick Young, a noted sniper, was just as enthused about his four assists.

"That's all a part of the Swaggy P movement," he said, using his nickname. "We were just sharing the ball."

DeMar DeRozan had 24 points and Andrea Bargnani 22 for the Raptors (3-8), who fell to 1-5 on the road. Jose Calderon had 13 points, all in the first half, as well as 12 assists.

Lowry, a native Philadelphian playing his first game after missing the previous six with a bad foot, had 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists off the bench.

Afterward, Toronto coach Dwane Casey fretted over the little things his team failed to do.

"We did a lot of good stuff to get us (into the lead)," he said, "but as usual, we have to find that gap, bridge that gap, and those fall on those basketball plays."

Toronto used a 12-0 third-quarter run, to which Bargnani contributed five points, to seize a 76-65 lead. The Raptors led 87-80 on DeRozan's jumper with 8:47 to play in the fourth.

The Raptors took a 10-point lead early in the game, and they were ahead until the Sixers went on a 9-2 run late in the first half. Holiday's 3-pointer gave Philadelphia a brief 51-48 lead, but Calderon answered with a 3-pointer of his own with 11.8 seconds left to forge a tie at the break.

Holiday finished the first half with 15 points and five assists.

NOTES: Casey had been unsure before the game how much he would use Lowry, who ultimately played nearly 30 minutes. "This is home for him," Casey said. "He's got about 40 to 50 people coming to the game tonight, so he's excited. But we understand his situation with his health, and we want to make sure we do the right thing for him and the team, for the long term." ... Sixers rookie point guard Maalik Wayns, who like Lowry is a Villanova product, has played 21 minutes to date. "The preacher spoke to him the other day," Collins said, referring to himself. "The door slid open, I threw a little water on him, and it was rock and roll." Wayns didn't play Tuesday. ... Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto.