Raptors Look To Eliminate Sixers With Game 6 Win

In what has been a strange series in terms of shifting momentum it appears that the Toronto Raptors are back in control of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors finished the regular season just two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference and most expected that they’d have a fairly easy time with an inconsistent Philadelphia team. The Sixers were beaten easily in Game 1 but came back to shock Toronto on their home court in Game 2. They then took a lopsided win in Game 3 in Philadelphia.

Since then, it’s been all Toronto. The Raptors responded with a strong effort in Game 4 to avoid going down 3-1 in the series and followed that up with a blowout win at home in Game 5. They now have the opportunity to finish off Philadelphia on the road with the security of a Game 7 at home should they fail. Philadelphia has had serious difficulties winning in Toronto in recent years having lost 14 of the last 15 games at the Air Canada Centre.

The Raptors have been one of the best road teams this season going 29-16 SU away from home though they’re only 22-22 against the NBA pointspread. Toronto must take care not to come out with a substandard effort and let Philadelphia re-take the momentum in the series. That’s one risk of having a ‘game in hand’ at home–it’s easy to approach a tough matchup with a sense of overconfidence. Philadelphia’s pointspread record this season has been mediocre in most settings but they have bounced back extremely well after a double digit loss. After losing by 10 or more points the Sixers are 15-2 SU/13-4 ATS this season. On the other hand, they’ve not come back strong after poor defensive efforts. After allowing 115+ points, Philly is just 16-20 against the spread.

Toronto’s big weapon throughout this series could be their most significant advantage in Game 6. Kawhi Leonard has been in exceptional form throughout the postseason and is averaging 26.6 PPG. In this series, he had scored 45, 35, 33 and 39 points in the first four games before taking it easy with 21 points in the Game 5 blowout. He’s also been a force on the boards when needed–in Games 4 and 5 he had a total of 27 rebounds. At 13.5 boards per game that’s nearly double his season average of 7.3 rebounds per contest.

Leonard has been absolutely monstrous and is capable of taking over a game on his own. When he’s getting hep from his teammates as in Game 5 of this series he’s even more dangerous since he adds the dimension of being an effective ‘decoy’ to open up options for other players. Philadelphia certainly has the talent to come back strong here but the overall vibe of this series is that they’ve taken their best shot at the Raptors and come up short. Look for Toronto to get the win here and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

BET TORONTO RAPTORS -2 OVER PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

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