Sean Murphy
My selection is on Toronto first half over Philadelphia at 8 pm et on Wednesday.
While it's only Game 3, this is essentially a must-win contest for the Raptors as they try to dig themselves out of an 0-2 hole after appearing completely outmatched in Philadelphia. I do expect Toronto to come out strong on Wednesday - I'm just not convinced it can sustain it for four quarters. Note that the Raptors did come out on fire in Game 2, jumping ahead by a considerable margin early on. They also came out very physical, however, and that only seemed to fuel the 76ers fire as they quickly woke up after a sluggish start.
Here, I don't expect the Raptors to initiate those sort of early extracurriculars. With all of the talk surrounding the Raps and their inability to keep Joel Embiid from the free-throw line, I expect a different story to unfold - at least early on - in this one. Toronto has a history of coming up big on its home floor in the playoffs in recent years, especially when trailing a series. Look for the Raps to carry a lead into halftime on Wednesday. Take Toronto first half.
My selection is on Toronto first half over Philadelphia at 8 pm et on Wednesday.
While it's only Game 3, this is essentially a must-win contest for the Raptors as they try to dig themselves out of an 0-2 hole after appearing completely outmatched in Philadelphia. I do expect Toronto to come out strong on Wednesday - I'm just not convinced it can sustain it for four quarters. Note that the Raptors did come out on fire in Game 2, jumping ahead by a considerable margin early on. They also came out very physical, however, and that only seemed to fuel the 76ers fire as they quickly woke up after a sluggish start.
Here, I don't expect the Raptors to initiate those sort of early extracurriculars. With all of the talk surrounding the Raps and their inability to keep Joel Embiid from the free-throw line, I expect a different story to unfold - at least early on - in this one. Toronto has a history of coming up big on its home floor in the playoffs in recent years, especially when trailing a series. Look for the Raps to carry a lead into halftime on Wednesday. Take Toronto first half.