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Philadelphia hosts Toronto in an Atlantic Division battle in the Eastern Conference! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Raptors-76ers prediction and pick.
The Toronto Raptors are coming off a close loss to the Los Angeles Lakers 128-123 in overtime Friday night. Scottie Barnes scored 31 in the loss but made the headlines after the game after he said that Kobe Bryant was his favorite player growing up. Either way, Barnes is playing extremely well this season and is making a serious case for Rookie of the Year. Toronto is currently (39-31) on the season and is 7th in the East.
The 76ers are playing well right now winning their last two games against solid teams. Philadelphia knocked off the Dallas Mavericks 111-101 last time out but have a tough stretch of games ahead of them. They are (43-26) on the season which puts them in a tie for 2nd in the East. The Boston Celtics are just a game behind so a loss here and a Celtics win could bump them back to 4th.
Here are the Raptors-76ers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Raptors-76ers Odds
Toronto Raptors: +6.5 (-114)
Philadelphia 76ers: -6.5 (-106)
Over: 219 (-110)
Under: 219 (-110)
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Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
The Raptors are (7-5) against the tough Atlantic Division. This is a division that includes four playoff teams and then the New York Knicks who should be a playoff team with that roster. Besides the Pacific Division out West, the Atlantic is arguably the toughest in the entire NBA. The 76ers, Raptors, Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets will all be contending this year. The 76ers are (6-8) in the division so they need to get it going if they want to keep their 2-seed.
These teams square off for the third time this season. Philadelphia won the last matchup 114-109 after Joel Embiid scored 36 in the win. The Raptors must not let him control the game as he did in the last matchup or else it could be a similar result. Embiid is currently questionable for tonight's game but is coming off a 32-point game against Dallas. James Harden scored 24 points with 12 assists as well. Those two are on fire right now and the Raptors must contain them to keep this game close. Expect Matisse Thybulle to be guarding Barnes and Pascal Siakam most of the game.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
The 76ers have a tough test again tonight. The Raptors are playing very well but lack size. This is one of the games that Embiid looks forward to because the Raptors' tallest defender is 6-foot-9. Embiid should be able to control the paint and dominate the class as usual. If he scored 36 last time, then he should be able to do that again without trouble. Harden and others will need to step up as well to make sure Embiid and harden don't take on the entire load.
Embiid is now averaging 30 points on the season. He's shooting 49% from the floor and will more than likely take home the MVP this season. He leads the NBA in scoring as a center which hasn't been done since Shaq in 1999-2000. However, James Harden led the league in scoring from 2017-2020. Philadelphia has two of the best offensive players the league has ever seen, they need to put it all together and keep the momentum going for the playoffs in a few weeks.
If the 76ers want to cover this spread, they need to contain Gary Trent Jr., as well as Siakam and Barnes. Those three players are playing very well right now and can take over any game they play in. It will be on the Sixers' defense to make sure they don't stay hot tonight. Fred VanVleet will miss tonight's game with a right knee injury.
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Final Raptors-76ers Prediction & Pick
This is a tough pick to make because of Embiid's status. This is an important game as the Sixers also have a tough opponent in the Miami Heat tomorrow. If Embiid is having back issues and has a back-to-back to worry about, I'm sure he'll miss at least one of these games (because of his injury past). He hasn't been ruled out so I'm assuming he'll play tonight. Becuase of this status, however, I think choosing a spread here at this rate is too difficult. I expect the over at 219 to hit tonight and I expect this to be a high-scoring affair.
Final Raptors-76ers Pick: Over 219 (-110)
