Raptors Need Home Comfort
The Toronto Raptors will hope a return home can help them find a foothold in this series as they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to Scotiabank Arena for Game 3 of their first-round matchup.
The Raptors have been unable to slow down Philadelphia’s offense through the first two games and will need a kinder home whistle to help them find some rhythm at both ends of the floor.
Let’s check the latest NBA picks, stats, injury reports, and NBA odds for 76ers vs Raptors. We’ve plenty of NBA Playoffs Odds for you to consider.
Embiid Getting Help Inside
There’s no denying the dominance that Joel Embiid has inside the paint on a nightly basis, but there’s also no denying that a friendly home whistle has helped him to get going in the first two games of this series.
The Sixers owned a 30-12 advantage in free throw attempts in Game 2, with Embiid (14) attempting more free throws than the entire Raptors team in his 37 minutes on the floor.
Toronto coach Nick Nurse was vocal about his displeasures after Game 1, feeling that the officials were lenient to the Sixers in spite of their aggressive play. Sixers coach Doc Rivers thought otherwise after Game 2.
“They wanted to muck the game up and play physical,” said Rivers after the game. “I just told our guys to just play through it.”
The physical nature of this contest is going to continue in Game 3, but the real deciding factor could be how the officials decide to call things back in Toronto.
Nurse Needs to Find Adjustments
One of the biggest (and, potentially only) advantages that Toronto has in this series comes in the form Nurse.
Nurse has earned a reputation for his ability to alter a series with his game-to-game adjustments. With his team returning home in a 2-0, the Raptors will be hoping he can find the right changes to inspire a reaction from his team.
Those changes will likely come on the defensive end, where the Raptors need to start forcing turnovers and getting stops in order to help them find rhythm offensively against a transition defense.
If they’re able to find the changes to stifle Philadelphia early, they’ll be a tough team to chase down in front of their fans in the second half.
76ers vs Raptors Head-to-Head
The Philadelphia 76ers were 112-97 winners in Game 2, winning and covering as 7½ point favorites.
The Sixers are up 2-0 up in the series and 2-0 against-the-spread (ATS).
76ers vs Raptors Game Information
- Game: Raptors (48-34) vs 76ers (51-31)
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
- Day/Time: Wednesday, April 20th, 8 p.m. ET
- 76ers vs Raptors Live stream: NBA Game Pass
76ers vs Raptors Betting Lines
76ers vs Raptors Prediction
The Raptors are certainly capable of making the necessary adjustments to make this tough on Philadelphia, which needs to prove it can win on the road in this environment.
They say the series doesn’t truly begin until a team wins on the road, and with Nurse at the helm, there’s a very real chance that Toronto finds a way to ensure they hold serve to start its two-game homestand.
Scottie Barnes remains doubtful while Gary Trent Jr has again been listed as questionable with an illness. The latter did try to play his part in Game 2, but looked very fatigued and out of sorts. We should see him back in the lineup again and he should be much more effective at both ends.
This is very much a case of “prove it” when it comes to Philadelphia. It’s one thing to show out on your home court, but doing it on the road against a desperate team is an altogether different task.
If you’re looking to bet online in this game, back the home team to respond with a much-needed win.
Pick: Toronto Raptors +2
Raptors Need Home Comfort
The Toronto Raptors will hope a return home can help them find a foothold in this series as they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to Scotiabank Arena for Game 3 of their first-round matchup.
The Raptors have been unable to slow down Philadelphia’s offense through the first two games and will need a kinder home whistle to help them find some rhythm at both ends of the floor.
Let’s check the latest NBA picks, stats, injury reports, and NBA odds for 76ers vs Raptors. We’ve plenty of NBA Playoffs Odds for you to consider.
Embiid Getting Help Inside
There’s no denying the dominance that Joel Embiid has inside the paint on a nightly basis, but there’s also no denying that a friendly home whistle has helped him to get going in the first two games of this series.
The Sixers owned a 30-12 advantage in free throw attempts in Game 2, with Embiid (14) attempting more free throws than the entire Raptors team in his 37 minutes on the floor.
Toronto coach Nick Nurse was vocal about his displeasures after Game 1, feeling that the officials were lenient to the Sixers in spite of their aggressive play. Sixers coach Doc Rivers thought otherwise after Game 2.
“They wanted to muck the game up and play physical,” said Rivers after the game. “I just told our guys to just play through it.”
The physical nature of this contest is going to continue in Game 3, but the real deciding factor could be how the officials decide to call things back in Toronto.
Nurse Needs to Find Adjustments
One of the biggest (and, potentially only) advantages that Toronto has in this series comes in the form Nurse.
Nurse has earned a reputation for his ability to alter a series with his game-to-game adjustments. With his team returning home in a 2-0, the Raptors will be hoping he can find the right changes to inspire a reaction from his team.
Those changes will likely come on the defensive end, where the Raptors need to start forcing turnovers and getting stops in order to help them find rhythm offensively against a transition defense.
If they’re able to find the changes to stifle Philadelphia early, they’ll be a tough team to chase down in front of their fans in the second half.
76ers vs Raptors Head-to-Head
The Philadelphia 76ers were 112-97 winners in Game 2, winning and covering as 7½ point favorites.
The Sixers are up 2-0 up in the series and 2-0 against-the-spread (ATS).
76ers vs Raptors Game Information
- Game: Raptors (48-34) vs 76ers (51-31)
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
- Day/Time: Wednesday, April 20th, 8 p.m. ET
- 76ers vs Raptors Live stream: NBA Game Pass
76ers vs Raptors Betting Lines
76ers vs Raptors Prediction
The Raptors are certainly capable of making the necessary adjustments to make this tough on Philadelphia, which needs to prove it can win on the road in this environment.
They say the series doesn’t truly begin until a team wins on the road, and with Nurse at the helm, there’s a very real chance that Toronto finds a way to ensure they hold serve to start its two-game homestand.
Scottie Barnes remains doubtful while Gary Trent Jr has again been listed as questionable with an illness. The latter did try to play his part in Game 2, but looked very fatigued and out of sorts. We should see him back in the lineup again and he should be much more effective at both ends.
This is very much a case of “prove it” when it comes to Philadelphia. It’s one thing to show out on your home court, but doing it on the road against a desperate team is an altogether different task.
If you’re looking to bet online in this game, back the home team to respond with a much-needed win.
Pick: Toronto Raptors +2
