Sixers Notes: Collins says he'll call on Wright more often

As he has worked at getting to know the nine new players on the roster, 76ers coach Doug Collins knew there were going to be some moments that tested the relationship.

That's just the nature of the business when it comes to figuring out the all-important chemistry required to field a team.

After the Sixers' come-from-behind 106-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, Collins felt that he owed one of the new guys, Dorell Wright, an apology.

"I'm very proud of Dorell," Collins said. "As I'm trying to figure out this team, he's sort of been the guy over the last few games whose minutes have been cut. I talked to him to be ready and he was. . . .

"He had four rebounds and only had one basket, but the 14 minutes he played for us helped us win the game."

The versatile 6-foot-9 Wright played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter when Collins went to a smaller lineup, hoping to be quicker at both ends of the floor. It worked. The Sixers (7-5), who played at Cleveland (3-8) on Wednesday night, dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Raptors by 33-18.

After playing no fewer than 25 minutes and reaching double digits in scoring in six of the first seven games, Wright scored just six points in an embarrassing 94-76 home loss to Detroit. He played a total of 17 minutes in the two games after that.

Wright said there were no hard feelings over his reduced playing time.

"I've been around for nine years and this is nothing new to me," said Wright, who won a championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. "I played for the Miami Heat for a long time and I had the same situation. As long as Coach calls my name and I'm ready, that's all I can do. So I'm just going to stick with it and be a pro."

Wright was on the floor at the end of the game with two other new Sixers, Jason Richardson, who scored 21 points, and Nick Young, who finished with a team-high 23.

He could see more time in the coming days. Collins said after Tuesday's game that he was going to make some changes to the starting lineup. He did not elaborate.