The Toronto Raptors (2-3) face the Philadelphia 76ers (3-2) Thursday in Game 6 of the first-round Eastern Conference series. Tip-off at Scotiabank Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Raptors vs. 76ers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Raptors are playing like they want to be the first team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. After getting blown out in both Game 1 and Game 2, the Raptors have arguably been the better team the last 3 games.
They did give up a late-game lead in Game 3, losing 104-101 on a game-winning 3 by C Joel Embiid. The Raptors won Game 5 by 15 points, holding Philadelphia to 88.
Toronto had just 3 offensive boards, so its No. 2-ranked offensive rebounding has yet to show in this series. Toronto is led by Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 22.6 per game.
As for the 76ers, since G Tyrese Maxey went off in Game 1 and Embiid went for 31 in Game 2, they’ve been bottled up, scoring under 105 in 3 straight. Philly is led by Embiid’s 24.8 points per game average.
76ers at Raptors odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:08 a.m. ET.
- Money line: 76ers -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Raptors +102 (bet $100 to win $102)
- Against the spread (ATS): 76ers -1.5 (-110) | Raptors +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 210.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
76ers at Raptors key injuries
Raptors
- G Fred VanVleet (hip) doubtful
76ers
- C Joel Embiid (thumb) available
- F Matisse Thybulle (ineligible) out
[tipico]
76ers at Raptors picks and predictions
Prediction
Raptors 104, 76ers 102
Money line
BET RAPTORS +102.
The Raptors have been the better team for 3 straight games. They beat the Sixers by 15 on the road in Game 5, and they’re starting to figure this Philly team out.
Maxey has cooled off quite a bit since his dominant 38-point Game 1 as well, shooting just 5-for-14 in Game 5 and scoring 12. Also, the lack of VanVleet will give more opportunity to Raptors G Gary Trent Jr., who is averaging 14.6 points per game.
The Raptors are grabbing just 9 offensive boards per game this series after averaging 13.4 per game in the regular season. Once they come alive on the glass, they’ll be much more difficult to tame.
Lastly, Toronto was 17-16 against the spread (ATS) as a home favorite while Philly was 12-14-1 ATS as a road underdog. Given the slim margin, these seem notable and favor Toronto.
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Against the spread
PASS.
I like the Raptors money line more than getting one point on the spread, especially considering the plus-money odds on the money line. Also, the Raptors have lost just 2 games all season by just 1 point.
Over/Under
LEAN to the UNDER 210.5 (-112).
The Under is 4-1 so far this series, and even with this one being the lowest, it still feels like the better option. In 2 of the 5 games, a team has missed 100 points.
Even at this lowest total yet in this series, the Under would still be 3-2. On the season, the Under was the better option for both sides with Toronto 42-45 O/U and Philly 39-45-3 O/U.
While the Sixers do sit 6th in field goal percentage in the playoffs, they also rank 16th in field goal attempts. The Raptors are the opposite, sitting 9th in shooting and 5th in attempts.
Lastly, this has been the second-slowest series in the playoffs, and that matters quite a bit when looking to bet on the overall total. While I like Toronto ML better, the UNDER 210.5 (-112) is a strong play as well.
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