National Basketball Association

Raptors return home to face Embiid-less Sixers

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:31 a.m. ET

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TORONTO -- After playing eight of their past 10 games on the road, the Toronto Raptors open a season-long six-game homestand Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

When the Raptors defeated the Bucks 105-99 Friday at Milwaukee, they finished their 10-game grind with a 6-4 record.

"On the road, you've been edgy, you've been uptight, you've got the you-against-the-world mentality," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said Sunday. "Now you come home to the comforts of home and relax and we can't do that. We've got some good teams coming in, the young, athletic Philly team coming in, Memphis is playing well, the Lakers are playing well and Atlanta. It's going to be a tough homestand, it won't be a piece of cake whatsoever. "

The homestand will end with games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Raptors (10-6) are 4-3 at home and Philadelphia is 0-5 on the road this season.

The 76ers (4-13) are coming off a 112-108 loss to the Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday after leading for the first three quarters.

Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who is coming back from foot injuries that cost him the past two seasons, will not make the trip to Toronto after scoring 22 points with nine rebounds in 25 minutes on Sunday.

"We played hard," Embiid said. "We had a good defensive game. They just played better.

The game Monday will be the sixth he will have missed this season. The restriction in minutes and the skipping of some games fit in with his rehabilitation program. He also did not play in the 105-89 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

"You come up with some really hard decisions that maybe don't favor me or us or whatever," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "But for the long-term lens that we all have, we have to be responsible with Joel Embiid. Winning a game in the middle of November in 2016, sometimes that takes a back seat."

The 76ers were without point guard Jerryd Bayless on Sunday because of a sore left wrist. Bayless, a former Raptor, missed the first 13 games of the season after suffering a torn ligament in the wrist during training camp. The free-agent acquisition played in only three games. Bayless said his wrist was sore when he played against the Bulls on Friday.

The Raptors made a season-best 14 3-pointers against the Bucks and had double-digit scoring from six players.

While the offense is working, the concern remains the defense.

"We've got to be more conscious of letting teams get easy buckets, transition buckets, make everything a lot tougher on them," said Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 30.2 points. "Especially from the 3. Just be more disciplined. We can't have mistakes. Once we get clicking defensively and everything comes together as one, we have a chance to be really good."

Improving the defense is constantly on Casey's mind.

"If we have to get guys in there that are going to be committed to the defensive end, we've got to do that because to get where we want to go, we're kidding ourselves if we're not committed to that end," Casey said.

Forward DeMarre Carroll is improving as he returns from knee surgery and that should help the Raptors' defense. He also scored 14 points on Friday.

"That's what I've got to do," Carroll said. "They're double-teaming Kyle (Lowry) and DeMar (DeRozan). I've got to be able to space the floor, especially in the first unit. I'm just trying to do my part. I know at the beginning of the season I wasn't doing my part, but now I'm trying to step up, and I'm just trying to progress and not look back."