Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Charlie Grant
The slogan told Philly fans to trust the process but the only thing bettors can rely on with the Sixers these days are players missing games. The Raptors visit the City of Brotherly Love to take on a team of walking wounded ballers.
NBA Spread and Betting Analysis
The Dinos dissected the Charlotte Hornets 129-111 as 2-point away faves on Wednesday night and improved to 21-8 straight up and 17-12 against the spread on the year. It was the fifth time in their last 10 games the Raps’ tallied 120 or more points.
The Sixers are 1-7 straight up and 1-6-1 against the spread in their last eight games with outright losses to the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls occurring just this week. Philadelphia is 14-16 SU and 16-13-1 ATS on the year.
Toronto is 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS in its last 10 matchups against Philadelphia. The over is also 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between these two Atlantic Division foes.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto scored 41 points in the second quarter on Wednesday night in Charlotte to distance itself from the Hornets. The Raptors’ lead was as large as 25 in the second half which allowed coach Dwane Casey to rest DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry for the entire fourth quarter.
Playing two games in two nights is a tall task for pro teams but the Raptors are 2-1 straight up and against the spread in their three previous spots this season.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers are expected to be without starting center and franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid again on Thursday. The big man missed both games earlier this week because of a sore back. Embiid leads the team in scoring (24.1 points per game) and rebound (11 rpg) and Philly is 1-5 SU and 1-4-1 ATS in the six games he’s missed this season.
Starting shooting guard J.J. Redick left the contest against the Kings because of a hamstring injury and he’s considered questionable to play against the Raptors. Rookie Ben Simmons could be the next LeBron James but his lack of shooting gets exposed when he’s not sharing the floor with Embiid and distance shooters like Redick.
