The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors square off in the first round of the NBA playoffs, set to tip off on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center.
Hedgeout.net Team previews the series and picks the winner, in a series that is expected to stretch to 6 or 7 games.
Yiannis Bouranis
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors will clash in the first round of the playoffs. This is another series where all bets are off, as no team enters the series as the favorite.
The Sixers were fourth in the regular season, at 51-31, whereas the Raptors had a 48-34 record, good for fifth on the table.
Toronto captured the season series 3-1, winning both games at Philadelphia. The Raptors won 5 of their last 6 regular season and lost only 4 times in their last 18 regular season games.
On the other hand, Philadelphia will rely on the star duo of Joel Embiid (averaging 30.6 points and 11.2 rebounds) and James Harden (averaging 22 points and 10.3 assists) to advance to the semifinals.
The Raptors have the depth and versatility to match the Sixers, so I expect a Game 7 in the series and a Toronto win (3-4).
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Alexandros Tsakos
Being the favorite vs the Raptors, the Sixers have many things to prove this postseason. I expect a tough series for Doc Rivers and his team against a squad with the most size in the NBA, but the Sixers likely will prevail in seven games.
Philadelphia will have defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle available for games in Toronto, while they want to dominate the game offensively and become the team to make it out from the straddling Eastern Conference matchup.
The Sixers will need better shooting than Toronto to get past the first round. Raptors do not have an answer for MVP candidate Joel Embiid, however if Philadelphia does not hit the open shots they will certainly create, then they will lose the series.
Toronto won three of the four games against Philadelphia in the regular season.
Filippos Kassotis
Although Toronto won the season series (3-1), they are still the underdog of this pair. Philadelphia has a clear goal this year, which is none other than the NBA Finals.
Joel Embiid, who has been recently named the season’s top scorer, and James Harden both seek to prove themselves by earning their first ring.
On the other hand, the Raptors remain steadily in the Eastern elite since their maiden championship in 2019. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are a duo not to be underestimated.
But, in any case the Sixers will seek to end the series as soon as possible and proceed with the minimum effort to the semifinals.
Having also the home court advantage (51-31) is giving them the title of the favorite. My guess for this pair 4-2.
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Dimitris Georgiopoulos
The Philadelphia 76ers (51-31) are hoping to advance more in the playoffs than they have done the last four years, where they got knocked out before the Eastern Conference Finals.
They performed really well this year, expecially away from home (27-14, second best in the league behind the Phoenix Suns).
The collaboration of the top scorer of the regular season Joel Embiid (averaging 30.6 points and 11.2 rebounds) and James Harden (averaging 22 points and 10.3 assists) gives the Sixers’ fans hunger for more.
On the other hand, the Raptors (48-34) seem to have put their last season behind them. They lost only four of their last 18 games. Head coach Nick Nurse’s guys are surely aware of how to handle playoff pressure.
A lot of key players, such as leading scorer Pascal Siakam (averaging 22.8 points and 8.5 rebounds), participated in the winning 2018-2019 season.
I think this series will be long and head into a Game 7. This is why I’m predicting that Raptors can win this potential series “final” and beat the Sixers (3-4).
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Aggelos Nikolopoulos
The matchup between the Sixers and the Raptors is one of the series we will enjoy the most in the Eastern Conference. Both teams can reach the Conference semi-finals and I can’t see a strong favorite here.
To be fair, the favorite could be Philadelphia for some good reasons. First and foremost is Joel Embiid.
The Cameroonian superstar is the regular season’s top scorer, overcoming Giannis and LeBron. He is in a superb situation, willing to help his team reach the semis. For sure, he’ ll be one of the main factors of the series.
Beyond that, the 76ers have proved they are a really strong team over the last few years, they have returned to title contention and can dream something good. But, towards them, the 2019 champions, Toronto Raptors, are waiting for a real battle.
The Raptors made an incredible comeback in the regular season. In contrast with the Sixers, who were in the first spots throughout the season, Toronto needed to improve and make a good winning course.
Until Christmas, they couldn’t even think to finish in the high-level spots. But, the franchise’s key players, like Siakam, VanVleet, Trent Jr and Anunoby, managed to play really good basketball in the last 3-4 months and finally clinched the playoffs and the fifth spot.
The 76ers have the home-court advantage, but is this really enough? The season series ended with a 3-1 wins for Toronto, which won both games at “Wells Fargo Center” of Philadelphia. So they can’t rely only on the fact that they will play in front of their fans.
The series will be tough, I don’t expect to see less than 6 games here. The option of over 5.5 games is in an odd near 1.55. It will not seem strange to me if the seriesstrecth to a Game 7. But finally, I believe the Sixers will get the job done.
My score is 4-2 for Philadelphia, especially if they win Game 1 & 2. In a different occasion, 4-3 for any team, because both of them can win in the opponent’s court. But having at least 6 games, I truly believe is the best option we could have, in that series.
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