The Toronto Raptors have lost two straight games to the Philadelphia 76ers and now they travel back home in a must-win Game 3. Let’s see what the NBA odds for this matchup tell us!
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
Wednesday, April 20, 2022- 8:00 PM EDT at Scotiabank Arena
Must-Win Game
While I’m well aware that you need to win four games to advance in the NBA Playoffs, when it comes to the Association, a 3-0 series lead is as good as 4-0.
No team in NBA history has ever come back from being down 0-3 in a playoff series.
While it has happened in other North American sports that utilize a seven-game series, if the Raptors lose this game tonight, I doubt it will be them making history and beating this Sixers team four games in a row and twice in Philly.
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That makes tonight a must-win for the Raptors and I think Nick Nurse and the crowd in Toronto will know that.
That being said, it’s hard for me to have confidence in the Raptors. I had some confidence in them before this series started, but that has gone out the window after watching the first two games of this series.
Joel Embiid has dominated this small-ball lineup no matter who the Raptors throw at him and he has muscled his way to 50 points through the first two games.
Embiid will have to have a big Game 3 too because Matisse Thybulle will be out for the next two games due to Ontario’s vaccination requirement.
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Thybulle has played sparingly over the first two games of this series though, so I doubt his absence will crush their chances of winning for a third straight game.
All of this is to say that I think the first half spread for this game is a good bet for Toronto, but along with that, I think the total is an even better NBA pick.
The Sharp Picks
Beating the same team three times in a row (let alone four) is tough in the NBA, but definitely not unheard of.
Home cooking, rims, and crowd noise will all play a factor here and I think it’s why we’ve seen a small bit of movement towards Toronto in the first half and I’m following along.
After that, though I also think the first half under has a lot of value if the right circumstances are met.
The Raptors cashing in the first half is almost certainly predicated on them slowing down Philly.
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The Sixers have a first-half offensive rating of more than 150 to start this series and if the Raptors fall behind at the half, their graves will be halfway dug for the series.
The loss of Thybulle isn’t going to crush the Sixers’ defense by any means and I think Toronto will still continue to struggle on offense, even with the change of venue.
Finally, and probably most importantly, the pace of this series will continue to be very slow.
These two are playing at a pace of only 90 possessions per game through two games and considering they ranked in the bottom third of the league this regular season in first-half pace, add the under to the Raptors in the first half for Game 3.
NBA Pick: Raptors -1/2 (-105) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
NBA Pick: 1st Half Under 111 (-115) with Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
