76ers vs. Raptors: Game Notes, Odds, & Prediction for Game 1

At last, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to make their 2022 NBA playoff run beginning on Saturday night. Two weekends ago, the Sixers found out they would officially clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs after taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The only question left for the Sixers was who were they going to play? Not too long after clinching their spot, the Sixers found out that the fifth and sixth seeds were the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls.

If the Sixers stayed where they were at in fourth place, then the Raptors would become their first-round opponent. If everything fell in Philly’s favor and they moved into the third seed, then the Sixers would garner a series against the Bulls.

Unfortunately for Philly, the third seed wasn’t in the cards. Therefore, their first-round opponent became official last Sunday as the Sixers clinched fourth place. Now, the Sixers and the Raptors will battle it out for Game 1 on Saturday night in South Philly.

When the Sixers and the Raptors played each other during the regular season, the Sixers didn’t find much success. While they didn’t have Joel Embiid or James Harden on the floor during their first loss to Toronto, the Sixers dropped two more games to the Raptors, who missed several key players.

Overall, the Sixers were 1-3 against the Raptors during the 2021-2022 run. Can they turn their regular season failures against the Raptors into a successful first-round? Soon, we’ll see.

Key Game Notes

Sixers are 24-17 when playing at home this season

Sixers have gone 6-4 in their last ten games

Raptors are 24-7 when playing on the road this year

Raptors have won eight of their last ten games

Raptors are 12-6 against the spread in their last 18 games

The total has gone under in all five of Toronto’s last five road games

Sixers are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games

The total has gone over in five of Philly’s last six games

Injury Report

76ers

Charles Bassey - Out

Jaden Springer - Out

Raptors

No Injuries

Game Odds

Spread: Sixers -4.5

Moneyline: PHI -188, TOR +155

Total O/U: 216.5

*All Odds are Provided by SI Sportsbook

Prediction

Spread: Raptors +4.5

Moneyline: Sixers -188

Total O/U: Under 216.5

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.