Jaylen Brown was denied the reunion with Boston he desired as his former side smashed him and his 76ers teammates 123-101 on Tuesday and it will be interesting to see how Philadelphia reacts after that tough night.
Thursday’s timely clash with injury-hit Toronto could provide the perfect opportunity for Nick Nurse to get a positive reaction from his team and it is hard to imagine experienced leaders LeBron James and Joel Embiid letting Philly’s standards slip again.
The Raptors also need to bounce back, going down 98-93 to Boston on Wednesday, but the circumstances look to suit Philadelphia more.
Raptors vs. 76ers betting picks and predictions
Philadelphia 76ers -9.5 @ -110
Philly were shocking against Boston. They gave up scoring opportunities to ex-76er Paul George far too easily, knocked down just 30 percent of their threes to the Celtics’ 45 and racked up a detrimental 13 turnovers.
However, the situation did not help - four of those turnovers were committed by an under-fire Brown, for example - and they have been generally excellent for the rest of the season. They are 9-3 for a reason and should prove successful in their bounce-back bid.
Toronto lacks the quality of Boston and even more so in the absence of Kawhi Leonard and, most likely, Scottie Barnes. The Raptors are only 5-6 for the season and it is their shortage of firepower that may cost them in Philadelphia.
Toronto has a middling offense and defense when it comes to ratings and the former is going to be an issue with Philly ranking fourth on defensive rating. Take the 76ers to outclass the Raptors.
Under 221.5 points @ -113
The Raptors have been one of the NBA’s most exciting teams, with their games producing an average of 226 points. Their inability to score more than 93 against Boston is a worry, though, and another low-scoring match seems likely.
Philadelphia’s expert defense makes them a tough nut to crack and their average total points per game of 219 is closer to what this clash looks set to produce.
Collin Murray-Boyles 1+ threes made @ +105
A plus price for a player to knock down one three-pointer is always worth looking into and Collin Murray-Boyles is worth a punt for a number of reasons.
Firstly, his confidence from beyond the arc has improved in recent games, with the Raptors forward knocking down a three in three of his last four games.
Secondly, while Philly are expected to improve on their last showing, the space they allowed Boston cannot be ignored. The 76ers do their best defensive work in the paint and the Celtics’ jacking up 49 threes means it would be a major surprise if Murray-Boyles was not granted at least a few opportunities to let fly.
Finally, Murray-Boyles simply has to shoot. With no Leonard and probably no Barnes, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic has to get creative with his playbook. That should mean more shooting chances for CMB and plenty of others, so take the plus price for him to drain at least one from range.
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Raptors vs. 76ers odds
Toronto Raptors | +290 |
Philadelphia 76ers | -370 |
Spread | PHI 76ers -9.5 |
Total Points | O/U 221.5 |
Raptors vs. 76ers player props
Player points - Over 20 points
Tyrese Maxey (PHI 76ers) | -320 |
Jaylen Brown (PHI 76ers) | -210 |
RJ Barrett (TOR Raptors) | -165 |
Joel Embiid (PHI 76ers) | -120 |
LeBron James (PHI 76ers) | +160 |
Immanuel Quickley (TOR Raptors) | +250 |
Raptors vs. 76ers Team News
Toronto will be without Leonard and Nate Bittle, while Barnes is a major doubt and Trayce Jackson-Davis is also questionable.
James and Embiid have been listed as questionable by Philadelphia. However, their next game against a worse Indiana side may provide a better time to do some load management. Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti are out.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
