Sixers rapt things up nicely with win in Toronto

TORONTO - Is Andre Iguodala finishing one digit shy of a triple-double what the 76ers meant by finding a comfort zone?

Is Elton Brand putting together 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in that category?

Or Willie Green emerging as the first man off the bench to contribute 17 points and nine assists?

Keep the list going. It's a long one. There was a whole lot of comfort in the Sixers' impressive 106-96 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.

The Sixers, who had been below 40 percent from the floor and scored fewer than 90 points in their three previous games, shot 53.8 percent, kept their turnovers to a very efficient 13 and created 19 points off 14 Raptors errors. All that work left the Raptors with their fourth loss in five games.

The Sixers even found comfort in a somewhat unorthodox lineup for a stretch of the fourth quarter, using both starting center Samuel Dalembert and rookie Marreese Speights in a combination with wingmen Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young and Green. At one point, that group ran off seven straight points.

But whatever else the Sixers (3-5) accomplished last night, coach Maurice Cheeks kept referring back to the defense.

"I really believe our play on the defensive end was the difference in the game," Cheeks said. "We were good on screen-and-roll, we were active with our hands and that resulted in us getting up and down the floor."

The Sixers came in 0-3 on the road. It's not known whether anyone mentioned that they hadn't started a season 0-4 on the road since 1999-2000, but the pregame buzz among the players was about finally getting one.

"It's usually big when you're talking about getting your first road win," Cheeks said. "I told them to relax and let your energy be on the defensive end of the floor. When you do that, you don't put that much pressure on the offense."

Before last night, the Sixers had talked mostly about being uncomfortable as they attempted to adjust to slightly different roles, with the younger players trying to figure out how to best accommodate Elton Brand in the post. They were trying to run as much as possible without being unnecessarily lured into pulling the ball back and reverting to halfcourt sets.