NBA Playoff Betting Picks – Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers May 2
The Philadelphia 76ers made their adjustments and came away victorious in Game 2, splitting the first two games with the Toronto Raptors in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
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The Sixers look to keep the homecourt advantage when the teams meet Thursday for the pivotal Game 3 matchup. It’s up to the Raptors now to make their modifications to try and get their deep bench more involved. Toronto’s reserves scored a total of 15 points in the first two games.
Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers
Date and Time: Thursday, May 2, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Opening NBA Odds: Philadelphia -1.5, O/U 216
Raptors at 76ers TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
The Raptors had the second-best home record in the East during the regular season. They also had the second-best road ledger, which is partly why the line for the Game 3 matchup danced over the fence. Toronto opened as a 1.5-point dog, but had plenty of backing to move the spread in their favor, despite a 94-89 loss in Game 2. Another sign that things tighten up in the playoffs is the scoring, or lack of it. Both teams scored over 100 points in the four regular season meetings, and Toronto’s 108-point effort in Game 1 is the only triple-digit number in the first two playoff hookups.
A gritty effort by the Sixers in Game 2 leveled the series. After getting scorched in the opener by Kawhi Leonard, Philly made a concentrated effort to take him out of rhythm. It worked, for the most part. Leonard scored 35 points, but once again the Sixers kept the Raps’ bench in check and did enough of their own on offense to get the victory. It was quite a change for the Sixers, who hadn’t allowed fewer than 90 points in game since March 10, a span of 22 contests.
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Raptors
The Raptors will tell us that their woes in Game 2 weren’t because of Philly’s defense. Rather, they missed too many good looks at the bucket. Good Sixers defense or poor marksmanship by the Raps, it doesn’t matter. Toronto has to be better shooting the basketball on Thursday. The Raptors hit just 36.7 percent from the field on Monday night with Leonard the only player to make more than half of his attempts.
Kawhi tried to carry the team again and nearly did scoring 35 points. But with a chance to tie the game late in the fourth it was Norman Powell attempting the shot and not Leonard. And Powell’s miss was one of 27 from behind the arc for Toronto. Another concern for Nick Nurse is the bench play. The group was ineffective on Monday and that needs to change. Serge Ibaka is 4 of 14 shooting in two games and Fred VanVleet failed to put up a point in Game 2.
76ers
Vowing to make changes after a 13-point loss in Game 1, the Sixers lived up to their promise. Pressuring Leonard and being more active, Philly produced one of its best defensive games of the entire season, holding the Raps to 36.7 percent shooting, including 27 percent from behind the arc. “We came in with a game plan, an adjustment that was made and we executed it,” Tobias Harris said. Getting the same result on Thursday is going to be difficult, though.
Dealing with knee soreness, Joel Embiid had a quiet game, making the Sixers victory sweeter. Embiid played 32 minutes on Monday hitting just 2 of 7 shots and scoring 12 points. The Sixers had their own issues shooting the ball, but they were slightly better than the Raps, which resulted in their slightly higher final tally. A switch defensively had Ben Simmons on Leonard, and the length of Simmons proved problematic. Jimmy Butler did damage scoring 30 points and Philly’s bench outscored Toronto’s 26-5.
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Bet Raptors at 76ers at BookMaker.eu
We haven’t seen much offense so far in the series and that’s a bit surprising considering the teams can score the basketball. Leonard needs more help and the Raps need some production from their reserves, who have combined for just 15 points in the first two games. A perceived strength has turned into a weakness, but that can be cured in one game. Expect the Sixers to be pumped early in this one after gaining a split and having the home crowd behind them. They will be impacted by Embiid’s creaky knees, however, and the Raptors will weather the early storm to regain control of the series.
NBA Playoff Score Prediction: Raptors 111, 76ers 106
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