Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors Game 6 Betting Preview: Odds, Picks, Best Series Bets and Props 

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 6 Betting Preview

Sigh. To game 6 we go. The Sixers, after going up 3-0 and then promptly deciding to not show up on the court for two straight games, now find themselves with legit fear of losing the series. Only up 3-2, game 6 is in Toronto and being played on Thursday, April 28th at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Surprisingly, even after no-showing for games 4 and 5, the Sixers are still the favorite here. They are 1 point favorites, with the total at 209.5.

I try to not be a prisoner of the moment when evaluating these NBA playoff series- but I see no earthly reason why the Sixers should be favored in this game.

Not only have they barely broken a sweat the past two games in this series, giving a comically low lack of effort that would have made the Lakers of this past season laugh, they were also outplayed for 95% of games 3 and 4 in Toronto.

At least they were trying in game 3 and able to come back and win thanks to the magic of Joel Embiid. But, since that game and that shot went in, the Sixers have looked remarkably disinterested.

Embiid, btw, is playing with a torn ligament in his thumb that he is clearly affected by. The thumb injury seems to have taken Embiids spirit away too, as he has looked considerably worse on defense than he has pretty much in his entire career.

Embiid is normally a top 5 defender in the league, but in game 5 specifically the Raptors targeted him relentlessly on the defensive end to massive success. There was a point in the 3rd quarter where the Raptors went at Embiid on 7 straight possessions, and had success every single time.

Any Sixers fan who had hopes of Harden looking better in the playoffs and stepping up with Embiid banged up, quickly had those hopes killed. Harden looked decent in game 4, but was horrendous in game 5.

He shot 4-11 with 5 turnovers, and was a team worse -16 in terms of plus/minus. He looks about as old and slow as he did in the regular season.

As a team, the Sixers only managed to score 88 points in a series close-out game at home in game 5.

I have to give credit to Doc Rivers, who is now, after being the king of blowing 3-1 leads, attempting to become the first NBA head coach ever to lose a series in which they were up 3-0.

*takes a deep breath*

Now onto the Raptors. Even with as big of a joke as the Sixers have been the past two games, and what a joke they are, the Raptors effort and tenacity certainly has something to do with that.

After taking the punch in the gut loss in game 3 with Embiids buzzer beater, nobody would have blamed Toronto if they weren’t able to keep that same effort in game 5 heading back to Philly. Instead, they were winning game 5 pretty much wire-to-wire.

Now, they head back to Toronto where they have clearly looked like the better team, with a chance to force this series into a game 7. When it comes down to it, 10 halves have been played (plus a 5 minute overtime) and the Sixers have only looked like the better team in 4 of those halves- which were all of games 1 & 2.

Again, I can’t fathom a scenario in which the Sixers should be the favored team here. So, as I’m sure you can imagine, I’m hammering the Raptors moneyline. I bet them at +105 on Caesars.

With Embiid banged up, Harden looking like he’s aged 100 years since he went out with a hamstring in the playoffs last year, to Doc Rivers still being the head coach, I have a hard time believing the Sixers have a chance in game 6.

This has been the book on Doc his whole coaching career- he can start off hot in a series, but once the other team makes adjustments he has no answers.

Instead, he just looks confused and dejected on the sideline while his team implodes.

Side note- the Raptors are currently +500 to win the series on BetMGM, for those of you who are with me.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors Game 6 Pick:

Raptors Moneyline | +105 at Caesars Sportsbook.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors Game 6 Pick:

My prediction for this game is that the Raptors win 107-95.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 5 Betting Preview

This series heads back to Philadelphia after the Raptors won game 4 to avoid the sweep. Game 5 is being played on Monday, April 25th at 8PM ET.

Even with the game 4 loss and legitimately concerning thumb injury to Joel Embiid, the Sixers are still pretty heavily favored here. They are 7.5 point favorites with the over/under set at 210, according to the OddsJam line.

There is some real fear out of Philadelphia regarding Joel Embiid and his thumb. While it didn’t seem to impact his shooting much in game 4- he shot 7 of 16 and in general his jumper didn’t look too bad- it clearly affected him on the defensive end and going for rebounds.

We saw Embiid significantly less aggressive going up for tough rebounds, and also attempting to block shots. It also made him less forceful on the offensive end getting position down low and going up strong in the paint. He finished game 4 with 21 points and 8 rebounds. If Embiid continually looks like this, the Sixers are in real trouble.

With that said, if you can remove the Embiid thumb injury (obviously a big if,) it is no surprise that these two teams split the two games in Toronto. The Raptors clearly played with more energy and deserved to win game 3, but instead had a heartbreaking loss. So, the Raptors brought that same intensity in game 4, if not even more, while the Sixers once again did not.

The Raptors forced the Sixers into 26 turnovers in game 4, and they just looked downright sloppy. Embiid was responsible for 5 of those turnovers. The Raptors also had 13 offensive rebounds compared to the Sixers 6.

If there were two ways in which the Raptors were going to win this series- it was going to be based off generating points off of turnovers and offensive rebounds. It almost worked in game 3, and it definitely worked in game 4.

My initial thoughts when looking at this spread was that 7.5 points seemed like way too many points to give the Raptors. Even though they are no longer playing at home, I don’t see them not giving as much energy or playing hard anymore.

I also have legit concerns over Embiids thumb. Granted he injured the thumb in game 3 and still destroyed the hearts of every Toronto resident, but it seemed to be causing him much more pain in game 4. If Embiid is at even 90% instead of 100%, that is going to be crushing for the Sixers.

With all that said, Embiid has been known for his theatrics in the past. While I don’t doubt at all that he’s in pain, he tends to show that pain more if he is struggling. Embiid wasn’t playing with the same effort he normally does, which seemed to cause the rest of the team to also not play as hard.

I don’t foresee this happening again in game 4. I see a motivated and energetic Sixers team. So, I decided to sit out betting the spread entirely, and instead I bet the over. I bet the over 209.5 at Caesars Sportsbook.

In games 1 & 2 at home, the Sixers put up 131 and 112 points, respectively. The Sixers are a team that definitely plays into their home crowd, and I expect them to look much sharper on the offensive end.

I also can see their defense suffering a bit if Embiid is still shy to contest on the defensive end. I also love taking the over 209.5 at a half point lower than what the OddsJam Line prices it at, which is 210.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 4 Pick:

My official NBA betting pick for this game is to take the over 209.5. I bet this at -110 odds at Caesars Sportsbook.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 4 Prediction:

My prediction for this game is that the Sixers win 111-109.

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Game 4 Betting Preview

Wow! What a game 3 that was. I’ll get into all the analysis below, but that was a career-defining moment and shot from Joel Embiid to win it in OT. Heading into game 4, the Sixers have a commanding 3-0 lead, with game 4 still in Toronto on Saturday, April 23rd at 2PM ET.

With the 3-0 lead and the gut-wrenching victory in game 3, it is no surprise that the Sixers are still favored here. The spread is Sixers -3, according to the OddsJam Line, with the over/under at 213.5.

There is nowhere else to start the analysis of game 4 and this series other than the heroics of Joel Embiid. Of course, the game-winning shot is going to get all the headlines, as it should, but that was a monstrous, incredible, *enter 4 more adjectives here* 2nd half performance from Embiid.

As good as Embiid has been in his career, and he’s awesome, he has had more playoff clunkers than an elite, top 5 player in the NBA should have. I can’t recall a signature performance specifically in the playoffs until now.

After a rough 1st half in game 3 in which Embiid had only 5 points and 4 turnovers, he went gangbusters in the 2nd half and overtime. In total, he had 28 points and 9 rebounds after halftime, and willed his team to victory. This felt like a monumental moment in Embiids career, when it seemed as though he simply wouldn’t let his team lose.

Obviously, much more needed to happen in order for the Sixers to complete the comeback, but it all started with Embiid and his attitude.

As for the Raptors, they have to be sick to their stomach letting that one slip away. They forced a total of 14 turnovers in the 1st half, 22 in the game, and led by as much as 17. The Sixers didn’t take their first lead of the entire game until overtime!

Not only did the Raptors blow a huge lead, but they also missed key free-throws late which could have won them the game. With the game tied with only 27 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Precious Achiuwa was at the line shooting 2, and missed both free throws.

Then, with the Raptors down 1 with 26 seconds left in OT, OG Anunoby went 1-1 at the line. In both situations the Raptors could have taken the lead with roughly 25 seconds left, and both times failed to do so. They were able to get the stop at the end of regulation, and, of course, were unable to do so in overtime.

So, with all that said, it is going to be tough for the Raptors to come back after that devastating loss. I do think the Sixers win and cover this game, but I found a play on the total that I liked even more.

I bet the under 214 on WynnBET at -108 odds.

Game 3 was a rock fight, with only 204 points scored even with the game going into OT. I don’t think the Raptors are going to just lay down and die in game 4, either. I expect them to play with a similar energy that they did in game 3.

I also expect the Sixers to come out with a sweep in mind. Their defense was phenomenal in the 2nd half and overtime of game 3, and I don’t foresee any change in that for game 4.

So, I love getting the under 214 at -108 odds on WynnBET.

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Game 4 Pick:

My official NBA betting pick for this game is to take the game total going under 214. I bet this at -108 odds on WynnBET Sportsbook.

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Game 4 Prediction:

My prediction for this game is that the 76ers will win 105-101.

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia Game 3 Betting Preview

After two straight blowouts in Philadelphia, the Sixers have taken a commanding 2-0 series lead against the Raptors. For game 3, we head north of the border where the Raptors will now be at home in Toronto for games 3 & 4.

Even after the games 1 and 2 domination, the Sixers are only slight favorites in Toronto for game 3. They are currently 2 point favorites, with the over/under at 214.5

The Sixers have looked downright incredible through two games. In game 1 it was the Tyrese Maxey show, as he put up 38 points in a game in which the Sixers as a whole scored 131.

In game 2, it was more of the Joel Embiid show, who started the game with 19 points in the 1st quarter and ended the game with 31 points and 11 rebounds. The scary part, for the Raptors, is that we haven’t seen an explosion from James Harden yet.

Harden has looked just ok in the first two games, but where he has excelled is commanding the game. He still is struggling shooting the ball and with his burst to go around defenders as he’s driving, but he has been great as a floor general with his passing. He only finished game 2 with 6 assists, but that number is not representative of how sharp his passing was.

On the Raptors side of it, you wonder if they are just out of energy and outmatched against this Sixers squad. They only scored 97 points in the game, and that was with scoring 33 in the first quarter.

After that first quarter, the Sixers defense stepped up, only allowing 19 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

The Raptors are also unfortunately struggling with injuries. Scottie Barnes is out for the foreseeable future, with Gary Trent trying to gut it in game 2 but being unable to finish the game. Fred VanVleet also doesn’t look 100% healthy. He started game 2 gangbusters, but struggled after the first quarter. He missed 10 straight 3-pointers after starting 4-5.

With all this said, in game 3 the Raptors do get the benefit of being at home, obviously, and also with the Sixers missing Matisse Thybulle. Thybulle is their best wing defender, so his absence could be big for Torontos chances.

Going into the series, I thought Toronto was going to win. So, maybe I’m just stubborn, but I refuse to believe they are going to go down without a fight.

I’ve also seen the Sixers be worlds better on both ends on Toronto, leaving me in a pickle in terms of an official bet. What I ended settling on, was the Raptors 1st quarter spread.

I got the Raptors 1st quarter -1.5 at +115 odds on DraftKings. While I am waffling on the final outcome of this game, what I do expect to happen is Toronto to start fast and with a ton of energy in front of their home crowd.

They did this in game 2, jumping out to an 11-2 lead, before the Sixers weathered the storm and calmed things down. At the end of 1 the Raptors led 33-32.

I would imagine the Raptors start game 3 with that same energy, but the Sixers won’t be quite so good at stopping the bleeding so quickly.

So, I’ll settle on Raptors 1st quarter spread -1.5 as my bet.

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 Pick:

My official NBA betting pick is to take the Raptors 1st quarter spread. I got them at -1.5 at +115 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 Prediction:

My prediction for this game is that the Sixers win 107-104.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 2 Betting Preview

With game 1 in the books, and the Sixers absolutely routing the Raptors, we head to game two with Toronto hoping they can turn things around and even up the series. This game is being played in Philadelphia at 7:30PM ET on Monday, April 18th.

Unsurprisingly, the Sixers are favored in this game with the point spread currently set at Sixers -6.5, and the over/under at 219.

I was legitimately surprised at how un-Raptors like the Raptors were in game 1. They were not crisp in their rotations on defense, and generally had more miscommunications than you ever see from a Nick Nurse led Raptors team.

They also immediately double-teamed Embiid when he caught the ball, instead of waiting for his first dribble which is what most teams do. Credit to Embiid, who was willing as a passer to make the Raptors pay for the early doubles.

The Sixers were also uncharacteristically solid at protecting the ball and limiting turnovers, as well as boxing out on defense and limiting second-chance points for the Raptors. Those two areas absolutely killed the Sixers in their last two losses to Toronto to end the regular season.

If the Sixers continue to play this clean and Toronto this sloppy, then this is going to be a 5 game series. With that said, I find that unlikely.

The more likely scenario is that Toronto will look much improved on defense, and I trust Nick Nurse to properly adjust. So, for that reason I like getting Toronto to cover here.

I got the Raptors +6.5 at -105 on DraftKings, whereas every other book has it at -110, so there is some value here.

I also like this game to go under the total. Game 1 was also uncharacteristic in how high scoring it was between these two teams. I expect game 2 to be more of a rock-fight with scoring hard to come by.

I was able to get the game to go under 219 at -108 odds on WynnBET Sportsbook.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 2 Picks:

My official betting picks for this game is to take the Raptors to cover the spread. I got them +6.5 at -105 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.

My other pick for this game is to take the under. I got the under 219 at -108 odds on WynnBET Sportsbook.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Predictions:

My prediction is that the Raptors win this game 101-99.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 1 Betting Preview

You will see the full series preview and analysis below, so I’ll keep the game preview itself relatively short. I’ll provide my official prediction, and one player prop as well.

As the home team and the higher seed, the Sixers are favored here. The point spread currently lists the Sixers -4, according to the OddsJam Perfect Line, with the over/under sitting at 216.

As I was line shopping researching picks for this game, I fell in love with getting the Raptors at +4.5 on PointsBet Sportsbook.

For reasons stated in the series analysis below, I am all over the Raptors in this series. I also love them in game 1.

Doc Rivers is the king of unforced coaching errors that cost the Sixers. In game 1 against the Hawks last year, Doc surprisingly started the game with Danny Green guarding Trae Young, instead of their best wing defender at the time Ben Simmons he who shall not be named. Predictably, Young absolutely torched the Sixers in game 1.

Nick Nurse, on the other hand, is an excellent coach who consistently puts his team in the best position to succeed. The guess here is that Doc starts another series with yet another coaching blunder, while Nurse wants to get a gut-punching road victory to start the series.

As far as my player prop goes, I am again fading the Sixers and taking Joel Embiid to go under 33.5 points. I bet this on WynnBet.

Embiid is awesome, obviously, but nobody plays him better than Toronto and especially Nick Nurse. They throw aggressive double and sometimes triple-teams at him, forcing him to beat them as a passer.

Embiid has grown immensely as a passer, but not enough to the point where Toronto won’t double him. As good as Embiid is, 34 points is just too rich for my blood. He has gone under his point total in his last two games against the Raptors.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 1 Picks:

My official NBA betting pick for this game is to take the Raptors +4.5. I got this at -105 odds on PointsBet Sportsbook.

My favorite player prop for this game is to take Joel Embiid to go under 33.5 points. This bet was placed on WynnBET Sportsbook at -115 odds.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Series Odds & Analysis

In this article, we will be previewing the 4 seed Philadelphia 76ers hosting the 5 seed Toronto Raptors. As the higher seed, the Sixers will have home court advantage in this series.

As a Sixers fan, I fully admit that I wake up in a cold sweat thinking about a playoff series against the Raptors. Not only do I have PTSD flashbacks from the Kawhi shot, but this current Raptors team is a horrible matchup for the Sixers.

No. 4 Sixers vs No. 5 Raptors Betting Preview

• Head-to-Head Regular Season Record: Raptors 3-1
• Philadelphia 76ers Regular Season Record: 51-31
• Toronto Raptors Regular Season Record: 48-34

Let’s start with the odds. Even with the Raptors owning the Sixers in their recent matchups, the Sixers are still pretty decently favored in this series. Caesars Sportsbook has them at -190 odds to win the series, with the Raptors at +160. Caesars also projects this series to be a 7 game series.

Sixers vs Raptors Coaching Matchup: Nick Nurse > Doc Rivers

Looking at this series as a whole, there are a lot of factors benefitting the Raptors here. The most important advantage, in my humble opinion, is the coaching advantage of Nick Nurse over Doc Rivers. I am only slightly exaggerating when I say that this might be the biggest coaching mismatch in NBA playoff history.

Nick Nurse does everything good as an NBA coach that Doc Rivers does not. Nurse experiments with different lineups and tactics, he is essentially a mad scientist with the way he runs his rotations. Not only that, but he consistently gets the best out of his players.

Look no further than the development of OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, rookie Scottie Barnes, and Precious Achiuwa if you want examples of Nurse’s player development skills.

Doc Rivers, on the other hand, does literally none of those things. He is an old, grizzled coach who refuses to play the young guys and also refuses to experiment or make adjustments. Docs game plan not working? Don’t care, keep at it.

Doc is the master of unforced error coaching decisions that harm the Sixers. The backup center rotation has been a weak spot for the Sixers the entirety of Joel Embiid’s career with the Sixers, and Doc refuses to try multiple young players at this position.

Instead, he trots out the corpse of DeAndre Jordan or Paul Milsap, watches them blow leads in record time, and then does the same thing in the next game. Of course, there is no guarantee that any of the young guys would be playable as a backup center, but to not even give them a chance is coaching malpractice.

Sixers vs Raptors Roster Breakdown: Can Toronto Contain Joel Embiid?

So, now that we’ve gone over the coaching advantage the Raptors have, they also have a huge advantage in the games specifically being played in Toronto because of Toronto’s vaccination policies.

The Sixers best wing defender is Matisse Thybulle, but he is unvaccinated and therefore unable to play in any of the games in Toronto. This especially hurts for a Sixers team going against a Raptors team that is full of rangy wings.

Digging into the rosters is where you can assign an advantage to the Sixers. The Raptors are deeper, but the Sixers have the star-power that the Raptors do not.

Of course, the headliner here is Joel Embiid. He will likely finish 2nd in MVP voting for the 2nd straight year, but an argument could be made that he was the most dominant player in the NBA this year.

He finished the season as the scoring champ, the first center to do so since Shaq in the early 2000’s. He is also a top 5 player on defense as well. One concern about Embiid, though, is that the Raptors play him the best of any team in the NBA.

The Sixers are 1-3 against the Raptors this season, and have lost two straight. The concerning part about those two losses, though, is that the Sixers had Embiid for both of them and the Raptors were significantly undermanned.

Embiid went under his point total in both of those games, and Harden struggled as well. So, it is not as though the Sixers can rely on star performances for their two stars specifically in this matchup.

All in all, I think the coaching mismatch is what is going to be the deciding factor in this series. Nurse will make adjustments based on what is/isn’t working, while Doc Rivers will not.

So, I love getting the Raptors at +160 odds to win this series on Caesars.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Series Pick:

My NBA betting pick for this playoff series is to take the Raptors to win the series. The best odds for this NBA future is +160 on Caesars Sportsbook.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Series Prediction:

My official prediction for this series is that the Raptors win in 6 games. If you are so inclined, you can get the Raptors to win the series 4-2 at +525 odds on Caesars Sportsbook.