The Philadelphia 76ers (17-8) travel to Scotiabank Arena to square off against the league leading Toronto Raptors (20-5). The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 228.5 points with Toronto opening as a 6-point favorite.
Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors Free Prediction
The 76ers will be looking for a similar result after covering the 6.5-point spread against the Memphis Grizzlies in their last matchup, 103-95. The combined points for the game (198) came in under the O/U total of 211.5. The 76ers knocked down 23 of their 30 free throws (76.7 percent) and held the Grizzlies to an offensive rebounding percentage of 6.8 (below their season average of 17.9). Ben Simmons fueled Philadelphia with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
In the Raptors’ last game, they dropped a tough one against the Denver Nuggets, 106-103, despite being 7-point favorites. The combined points for the game (209) came in under the O/U total of 219.5. Denver won the rebounding battle. The Nuggets had 15 offensive rebounds and 49 total rebounds, while the Raptors had seven and 41, respectively. Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard had a solid performance, leading both teams in scoring with 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting.
Looking at effective field goal percentage, this appears to be a balanced contest. The sharp-shooting Toronto offense ranks third in the league in that metric at 0.558, while the top-notch Philadelphia defense is ranked third in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.498).
Philadelphia has a solid 17-8 straight up (SU) record, but they are just 11-14 against the spread (ATS). Of the 76ers’ 25 games, 15 have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, Toronto owns records of 20-5 SU and 12-13 ATS. Much like Philadelphia, games including the Raptors also have typically finished over the O/U total (64.0 percent).
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Leonard scored a game-high 31 points in the first matchup, in which the Raptors defeated the 76ers 129-112, covering as 6-point favorites. He also had 7 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 241 points, which was 13 points above the projected point total of 228 points. The Raptors had a much better turnover percentage (12.6 vs. 18.1) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.571 vs. 0.495).
76ers vs. Raptors Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Raptors, ATS Winner – Raptors, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Toronto averages 52.0 points in the paint per game, which ranks seventh in the NBA. Philadelphia ranks 15th in points allowed in the paint per game (48.7).
Toronto averages 33.72 three pointers per game, which ranks 8 in the NBA. Philadelphia ranks 11 in three pointers allowed per game (30.52).
Toronto is 5-8 ATS at home, while Philadelphia is 3-8 ATS on the road.
Bettings Trends:
Over its last five outings, Philadelphia is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Toronto is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over its last five games.
The 76ers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.4, up from 2.4 for the season.
During their last five games, the Raptors have scored an average of 117.4 points per game (0.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 111.6 points per game (3.3 above their season average).
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