p>The Toronto Raptors head to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Toronto is 13-17 SU on the season. The Raptors are at the bottom of the Atlantic Division team standings and are the only team in the division with a sub-.500 record. They are in 10th place in the East standings and would be the final team in the East play-in tournament if the season ended today.
Philadelphia is 16-12 SU on the year. The Sixers are in third place in the Atlantic Division and are 4 games ahead of the Raptors in the division standings. Philly is the 5th seed in the East if the playoffs began today and they are just 4.5 games off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
These teams have played twice already this season. The Raptors won the first one 119-109 while the Sixers took their second meeting 112-90. Both games were played in Toronto.
The Raptors head to Monday’s game having lost 8 out of their last 10 games played, including their last five. Toronto has also dropped four in a row away from home and they are coming off a 126-110 defeat at the hands of the defending champions Golden State Warriors.
Fred VanVleet leads the Raptors with 19.1 points per game but is shooting just 38.6% from the floor. VanVleet is also the team leader with 6.3 assists per game and is just committing 1.9 turnovers per outing. OG Anunoby is also putting up 19.0 points per game on 47.5% FG shooting. However, Anunoby is dealing with a hip injury and is uncertain to play on Monday.
Toronto is scoring 111.4 points per game this season. They are also averaging 42.6 boards grabbed per contest and 22.8 assists per game this season. The Raptors rank 7th in scoring defense at 110.8 points per game allowed but are allowing opponents to shoot at a 48.8% clip.
The Sixers are playing well right now with 7 wins in their last 10 games played. Philadelphia has won its last four games and has done so with a winning margin of at least 11 points. In their last game, the Sixers defeated the Golden State Warriors 118-106 for their sixth consecutive win at home.
Joel Embiid leads the Sixers with 33.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game this season. Embiid is shooting 54.5% from the floor but is also committing 4.2 turnovers per game. Tyrese Maxey is putting up 22.9 points per game but is out with an injury. James Harden is also putting up 22.4
Philadelphia is scoring 111.4 points per game while also grabbing 40.4 rebounds and issuing 24.2 assists per game. The Sixers have the third-best scoring defense in the league at only 108.1 points per game but their opponents shoot 46.54% from the floor.
The Raptors are 3-5 SU in their last 8 games played against the Sixers. Toronto is also 1-2 SU in their last three games played in Philadelphia.
Toronto Raptors SU trends:
Philadelphia 76ers SU trends:
The Raptors have dropped their last five games played and they are coming off a 126-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. This marks their longest losing streak since losing 7 straight to complete the 2020-21 season.
Pascal Siakam scored 27 points while Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes added 22 and 17 points, respectively. The Raptors played without OG Anunoby ( hip) again and he has missed their last four games. Gary Trent Jr. has also missed Toronto’s last two games.
Toronto allowed Golden State to shoot 53% from the field and 18-39 from behind the three-point line. If they want to beat the Sixers, they need to play better defense.
The Sixers have won four in a row after beating the defending champions Golden State Warriors last Friday 118-106. Philadelphia won despite playing without Tyrese Maxey (fractured left foot), Tobias Harris (back), and Furkan Korkmaz ( non-COVID illness).
Joel Embiid led the way with 34 points and 13 rebounds. It was Embiid’s sixth consecutive 30-point game, the longest current active streak in the NBA. Meanwhile, James Harden also had a big night with 27 points and 9 assists. When those two are in their bag, Philly is tough to beat.
The Sixers have won their last four games at Wells Fargo and are 10-1 SU there during their last 11 games. The Sixers are short-handed with second-leading scorer Tyrese Maxey down with a hip injury. However, the Sixers possess the defense to get the job done here. I’m going with the team that is playing well right now.
Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers
The Raptors are 3-5 ATS in their last 8 games played against the 76ers. Toronto is also 1-2 ATS in their last three games played in Philadelphia.
Toronto Raptors ATS trends:
Philadelphia 76ers ATS trends:
The Sixers have outscored the Raptors by just 5.2 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings but that figure increases to 15.67 points per game in their last three encounters. Philly beat Toronto in their most recent meeting 112-90.
Toronto is just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games played. Philadelphia is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Sixers have covered in four straight games. The Raptors have not in five consecutive assignments.
With Embiid and Harden playing well right now, the Sixers are going to be hard to stop, especially at home. I will lay the points here and go with the Sixers.
Prediction: Sixers -7
The total has gone under in five out of the last 7 games played between these two teams. The under is also 4-2 in their last 6 meetings in Philadelphia.
Toronto Raptors over/under trends:
Philadelphia 76ers over/under trends:
The Raptors rank 23rd in pace while the Sixers are 26th in that department. Neither team likes to run and with Philadelphia missing Maxey, they don’t have that guy who will push the ball harder.
Embiid and Harden like to play a slow and deliberate game. The Sixers are 3rd overall in the NBA in scoring defense. The Raptors are also in the Top 10 at no. 7 in points allowed. This one should be a low-scoring game between two good defensive teams and two teams that like to slow things down.
Prediction: Under 219.5
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