Just when it looked like the momentum of this series was experiencing a landslide shift in the favour of the Philadelphia 76ers, Kawhi Leonard put the Toronto Raptors on his back to give the Dinos a much-needed split in Philly. Now, the Raptors return home to their loyal fan base as 6-point favourites for Tuesday’s Game 5 with the series tied at two games apiece. Can Toronto win this series with Leonard shouldering such a heavy load?

NBA Playoffs Point Spread and Betting Analysis

In a series that keeps swinging back and forth, the constant remains that this is a very defensive battle. Toronto’s 101-96 win on Sunday checked in under the posted total again, making the under 4-0 between these two teams. Going back further, Toronto has played under in nine of 10, while Philadelphia has played under in each of its last six.

The Raptors opened as 6.5-point favourites, but a wave of Sixers bets quickly moved that number to -6. Given that more than 80 percent of early bettors still like Philly to cover, this line could continue to shrink before the tip. With Toronto holding home-court advantage in what is now a best-of-three, the Raps are -333 favourites to win the series, with a Dinos win in six games at +150 and+140 to win in seven games. The 76ers are +220 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

Philadelphia 76ers

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s all about Joel Embiid for the 76ers. Already battling wonky knees that have him far from 100 percent, he also suffered through a nasty stomach bug ahead of Game 4. Those factors, combined with Toronto going with Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka on the floor at the same time for much of that matchup, made for a difficult night for Philadelphia star centre. Still, Embiid finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Jimmy Butler did he could with 29 points and 11 rebounds, but the real issue for the Sixers is that they couldn’t keep Leonard from dominating at both ends of the floor.

Toronto Raptors

You may have heard something about Leonard having a post-season for the ages. He poured in 39 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and handed out five assists on Sunday. He’s averaging 38 points per game on 62 percent shooting so far in this series – something that the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or Kobe Bryant never did. Still, the Raptors have to be very concerned about the lack of production from everyone on the roster not named Kawhi. Pascal Siakam is still banged up. Kyle Lowry hasn’t been the scoring force he can be and the Toronto is positively abysmal right now. Don’t be surprised if coach Nick Nurse puts Gasol and Ibaka in the paint together again on Tuesday. At least that way the Raps have a presence in the paint to try to keep Embiid in check.

76ERS

Away

97

RAPTORS

Home

101

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