The Toronto Raptors (62-25) and the Philadelphia 76ers (55-32) will square off for Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the Great White North. These two teams know each other well both hailing from the Atlantic Division. On the season, Toronto and Philadelphia met on four occasions. The Raptors won three of the four contests in question. Most recently, the Raptors staged an upset of Philadelphia in the City of Brotherly Love on February 5th when they defeated the Sixers 119-107 despite closing as a 2.5-point underdog.
Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors Overview
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers come into this contest on the heels of a “Gentleman’s Sweep” of divisional rival Brooklyn when they put the Nets to rest on Tuesday by a score of 122-100 to cover with ease as a 9.5-point favorite. After losing the opening frame of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to the Nets, the Sixers responded with authority winning four straight games all by double-digit margins.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors might as well have copied the blueprint from the Sixers as they won their first-round series in virtually the same capacity as their counterparts against the Orlando Magic. Toronto fell in Game One by virtue of the upset but would then follow up with four straight to close out the up-start Magic. The final score in Game Five in Toronto on Tuesday was the Raptors demolishing the Magic 115-96 to produce an easy cover as an 11-point choice.
Reasons To Avoid Philadelphia
Prior to the playoffs, there was a lot talk of Philly being a potential NBA Finals contender. Given the manner in which they made quick work of the Nets and how they can seemingly score at will, the Sixers have become quite the commodity out of the gate in this market. We have seen 55% of the general public take to the Sixers as the mid-range underdog which signals the premise that the Raptors may be undervalued here. After all, Philadelphia is 22-21 SU in road games this year, but they have not profitable by any stretch going 19-24 ATS over this same spread.
Reasons To Back Toronto
It is no secret that the Raptors are a scary bunch on their own court. On average, the Raptors outscored their opponents by a margin of eight points scoring 114.7 points per game to their opponents 106.7 points. Overall, the average margin is lower than what we are presented with for Game 1. This in itself makes the Raptors a value proposition.
