- (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors posted a 95-84 defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers in both teams' season-opener, spoiling Elton Brand's debut for his new team. The Raptors added a big man themselves, trading for power forward Jermaine O'Neal in a deal with Indiana. O'Neal was the second-leading scorer with 17 for Toronto, which was ousted by Orlando in the first round of last season's playoffs.

"Our defense, holding them to (34.5) percent, was pretty good," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "(We cut) down their transition baskets. We didn't play great, but we competed. We played like I hoped we could play."

Jose Calderon added 13 points and seven assists for the Raptors, while Jason Kapono shot 6-for-8 -- including 3-of-4 from three-point range -- for 15 points, as the team shot 10-for-16 from outside the arc and 44.4 percent overall for the contest.

"I just have to keep working," Bosh said. "The Olympics gave me confidence when I played with the world's best players. I'm trying to carry that momentum into the season."

Brand scored 14 points and hauled in 13 rebounds in his Sixers debut, and Andre Iguodala put up 15 points in a losing effort. Samuel Dalembert grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds in addition to his nine points for Philadelphia, which was knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by Detroit.

The 76ers created only 10 turnovers, resulting in just four points for a team that was among the leaders in fast break points last season.

"In the first half we didn't create any turnovers," said Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks. "We relied so much on the half-court offense. Our game is predicated on creating turnovers, and we didn't do that."

The Sixers shot just 34.5 percent (29-of-84) from the field and turned the ball over 18 times. They lost despite dominating the paint, outrebounding Toronto by a 56-33 margin.

"We made some shots, (and) then the shots stopped falling," Cheeks said. "When they are making shots, and we aren't making shots the way we are capable of, it's gonna be a long night."

The Raptors took their first lead of the game four minutes into the second, going up 28-26 on a open layup by Roko Ukic. Bosh scored 15 in the half for Toronto, as the team took a 47-38 lead after O'Neal's three-point play with just under three minutes left.

The Raptors took a 51-45 lead into halftime thanks to making 5-of-7 three- point shots, as well as committing only two turnovers. Conversely, Philadelphia gave the ball up eight times in the opening half, leading to 13 Toronto points.

The Sixers looked poised to take the lead, cutting the deficit to two early in the third. But the Raptors came right back with a 6-0 run to make it 57-49. Thaddeus Young followed with a three-point play to spark a 7-0 burst by Philadelphia.

The Raptors took over the rest of the third quarter, going on a 17-9 run to end the frame. Bosh and O'Neal each contributed six in the third, and Calderon assisted on four of the baskets, as Toronto led 74-65 going into the fourth.

The Sixers closed the gap to six early in the quarter, but Calderon hit a three-pointer and Kapono made a 17-footer to open up a nine-point lead for Toronto with 8:26 to play.

With the lead at 13 and just four minutes to go, the Raptors appeared to be in control. But Philadelphia cut it to six on a Lou Williams three-point play with 2:39 to play.

Bosh followed with an open jumper for Toronto, and Calderon hit a three on the next possession to push the advantage back to 11, sealing the victory for the Raptors.

The Sixers jumped out to a 9-1 advantage in the early minutes. Brand deposited his first four points while grabbing four rebounds, and Toronto struggled, missing on its first seven shots.

Anthony Parker's three-point shot with 2:58 left in the first pulled the Raptors to within one, and Philadelphia led 21-18 after the opening quarter. Dalembert grabbed nine boards in the frame -- including six on the offensive end -- as the Sixers outrebounded Toronto 21-5.

Game Notes

Toronto has won eight out of the last 10 meetings, including 3-of-4 in 2007-2008...Brand shot 5-for-14 from the field.









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