Toronto vs Philadelphia: Raptors will have their best offensive game

Joel Embiid promised one of Toronto's most famous fans, rapper Drake, that Philadelphia would close the series with the Raptors in 4 games, and now we will see if the Cameroonian star keeps his promise. Will the 76ers secure a 2nd round playoff exit?

The Raptors have put together a very interesting squad that could potentially make some noise in the playoffs. Toronto have a wealth of individually strong defenders, but the club could use a stronger bench and an undersized center would come in handy. Pascal Siakam has improved greatly in the 2nd half of the season, Gary Trent Jr. has had some standout games but Fred VanVleet seems a bit wilted. In addition, Scottie Barnes was injured and it is not certain that he will appear on the floor in Game 4 of the series with Philadelphia.

In their last game, Nick Nurse's team fell just short as Toronto lost in overtime, 101-104. The bench scored a combined total of only seven points in that game, although they played a total of more than 40 minutes on the floor. Siakam and VanVleet combined made 9 of 29 shots from the field, with Trent, Anunoby, and Achiuwa fouling out. The latter had two three-pointers and nine of his 11 field goal attempts were successful. Anunoby was the Raptors' top scorer with 29 points.

The 76ers could well reach the Eastern Conference Finals this season or even beyond. What matters now is not so much the presence of James Harden. Tyrese Maxey is slowly maturing into a star, and already in the playoffs, the young guard is ready to take the lead. That help came in handy. Joel Embiid is the top scorer in terms of average performance in the last regular season. In the meantime, Philadelphia have a relatively good bench right now, but the club is missing Matisse Thybulle who can't take to the floor on road trips due to Canadian vaccination rules.

Embiid scored more than 30 points for the 2nd time in a row last game, and it was the Cameroonian center who accounted for the decisive shot in overtime. Tyrese Maxey was less efficient than in the last 2 games, but he made up for his missed shots from beyond the arc with a game-high 19 points. Harden added 10 assists to his 19 points. Things might have been much easier for Philadelphia if they hadn't committed 24 losses: that's nearly twice as many as their opponent.

In the last 10 head-to-head encounters, Philadelphia have beaten Toronto six times. In the meeting before last, the 76ers lost on the road with a score of 114-119. Matisse Thybulle was absent at the time, while the Raptors were without OG Anunoby and Yuta Watanabe. 

• Toronto have 7 wins in 10 home games;
• Philadelphia won 7 of the last 10 away games;
• Toronto finished the regular season ranked 10th in the NBA Defensive Rating, while Philadelphia are 12th.

The Raptors will try to play defense to the max in this home game, but without Scottie Barnes for the 2nd time in a row, they will not be able to dry up the game. Still, Philadelphia's defense is far from perfect, particularly in the absence of Matisse Thybulle, and Toronto's leaders have the potential to improve upon their last game. If at least one of the home team's bench players plays better than they did in Game 3, the chances of success will also increase. Either way, the teams should break the total. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Total Over 213.5 points for 1.90;
• Toronto Handicap (+4.5) for 1.76;
• Toronto to win including overtime for 2.30.