Raptors vs. 76ers Game 2 Betting Preview: Will Philly Bounce Back?

Game 1 Betting Odds: Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors

• Spread: Raptors -6.5
• Over/Under: 220.5
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV Channel: TNT
• Series Score: Raptors Lead 1-0

>> All odds as of Sunday night. Download The Action Network App to get real-time odds and live win probabilities on your bets.

Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors handled business in Game 1 convincingly, easily covering the 6.5-point spread. It's the same number for Game 2; should we expect a similar result? Our analysts dive in.

Betting Trends to Know

The Raptors exercised some Game 1 demons by taking out the Sixers by 13 points at home on Saturday. Since 2013-14, the Raptors are 8-13 against-the-spread (ATS) the game directly after a straight-up and ATS win in the playoffs. They're the second-least profitable team in that spot. — Evan Abrams

After beating Philly in Game 1, Kawhi Leonard is now 14-0 against the Sixers in his career, winning on average by 14.9 points per game. His teams are 10-4 ATS in those games. — John Ewing

On a similar note … In the last 14 meetings between these teams in Toronto dating back to 2013, the Raptors are 14-0 straight-up and 11-3 ATS, covering by 8.0 points per game. — Abrams

Locky: My Thoughts on Game 2 

OK, so I need to try not to overreact to Game 1, but the problem is these teams never played each other as currently constituted all regular season. Saturday night is all we have. And there were a few takeaways that can help us going forward.

Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam played great but also made basically every possible shot. This wasn’t just wide open 3s and uncontested shots at the rim. They played flawless games.

That isn’t the “norm,” although Kawhi is pretty superhuman. The Raptor bench sneakily played awful, but any time there was ANY kind of trouble, Leonard or Siakam hit a shot.

The problem with anticipating some kind of regression towards the mean (favoring the Sixers) is that with Mike Scott still out for Game 2, the bench is an absolute disaster for Philadelphia. James Ennis made shots but still managed to be a -17 in Game 1, Boban may be unplayable in the series (but played anyway) and Korkmaz is … Korkmaz.

Jonah Bolden was the worst player in the Sixers-Nets series on either side, and even if he plays better I don’t know if that’s anything great. And none of that is going to change for the rest of the series.

As for Game 2, I think you might see the Sixers try to run even more. The Raptors actually had more fast-break points (21 to 13) in Game 1, and the halfcourt offense for Philadelphia was just an absolute slog against the length and athleticism Toronto provided.

Game 1 was headed for a high-scoring affair, and then it absolutely ground to a halt in the fourth quarter once there was no chance of the Sixers winning (score in the fourth: 16-14 Toronto).

Although I don’t think there’s any value in Philly in Game 2 with the number again sitting 6.5, I do think the total of 220.5 is vulnerable, as I think the only adjustment the Sixers might have is to speed the game up as fast as possible and live with the consequences.

Game 1 would have easily gone over that number if the lead for Toronto wasn’t so massive. The pace was there and should be there again, if not even faster. — Ken Barkley

Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.