Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers betting tips and predictions for Thursday’s NBA Eastern Conference Playoff game on NBA TV. The Toronto Raptors have avoided elimination by winning the last 2 games, now they face the Philadelphia 76ers in hopes of forcing a deciding Game 7 this weekend. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Toronto Raptors
The first 2 steps towards history have been done, now the Toronto Raptors head into Game 6 with a ton of momentum after beating Philly in the last 2 games. Game 5 in Philadelphia was close only in the 1st quarter as the Raptors came out on top 103-88. As a team, they shot 51% from the field and 4 starters, including 1 bench player scored in double figures. Their defense was also on point as they held the 76ers to just 38% shooting from the field and 27% from three-point land.
Joel Embiid struggled for the 2nd game in a row scoring just 20 points, he is clearly bothered by the ligament injury in his right thumb. Toronto is in a good spot heading home as they’ve beaten the 76ers 16 times in the last 20 meetings in Canada, they can become the first team since the 2003 Blazers to force a Game 7 after starting a series with 7 losses in a row.
Philadelphia 76ers
Pressure is now on Philadelphia to close this series out after they failed to do so in the past 2 games. All 5 starters scored in double figures in the Game 5 loss, however they weren’t very efficient, especially from three-point land. Turnovers were also a problem as they ended the game with 15 of them, compared to just 8 by the Raptors. They did win one game in this series already in Toronto, but it took a herculean effort from Embiid and a game winning 3 pointer to lift them to a win.
I’ve noticed quite a change in his approach to games now that he is injured. He is nowhere near the level he was during the regular season when he was an MVP candidate and it’s showing on the Sixers game. James Harden is also playing bad right now, he needs to wake up from his sleep if the Sixers want to avoid one of the biggest meltdowns in NBA history.
This series is going 7 games, I am very confident in that. No coach in NBA history has blown more 3-1 leads than Doc Rivers, he’s currently on a run of 7 losses in his last 8 potential close out games. Give me Toronto at home and the extra points.
Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Predictions
After that first game in which we saw 242 points scored between the teams, there has been a significant drop off in points scored with the next 4 games ending under the total. This shouldn’t be that big of a surprise as the Sixers and Raptors are in the bottom 5 teams in the NBA in terms of pace. Usually when the stakes get higher the defenses get tighter and we’re seeing that on full display here. Philadelphia has scored just 102 and 88 points over the past 2 games, I’m not sure they can be much more productive in tonight’s game in Toronto where they’ve scored 104 and 102 points in this series.
Count in Embiid’s injury and Harden’s struggles, plus the fact that Matisse Thybulle isn’t eligible to play, it’s a perfect recipe for a low scoring output. The winner of this game will be determined on the defensive end, Toronto has gone under the total in 5 of their last 6 games, their entire season has been predicated on defensive success and if they want to avoid elimination for the 3rd game in a row they’ll have to put in the work. Let’s back the under in this one.
