Game 6 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors in the opening round of the NBA playoffs is set for Thursday night in Toronto. After racing out to a dominating 3-0 series lead in this best-of-seven matchup, the Sixers have dropped the last two games to suddenly make things interesting.
Philly came into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto finished fifth in the final regular season standings. The 76ers opened as -175 favorites on the series price odds. Even with their series lead down to just one game, the current odds stand at -575 that they will still go on to win.
With Thursday's game on the road, Philadelphia is currently favorited by one point to win Game 6 and close things out. The betting odds on the money line have the Sixers set as -114 favorites. The total for Game 6 is set at 208.5 points after the total stayed UNDER in the last four meetings.
After winning the first two games at home by comfortable double-digit margins, Philly went up 3-0 with a thrilling 104-101 overtime victory in the first series game in Toronto. The eight-point loss in Game 4 to end a bid for a four-game sweep was somewhat expected. However, a stunning 103-88 loss at home in Game 5 is a real head-scratcher for a team that appeared to be in complete control.
The big question for betting Thursday's Game 6 is what 76ers' team takes the court at Scotiabank Arena? My guess is that Philly will win this game with ease to avoid the drama of a Game 7 back in Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday.
As goes Joel Embiid goes the 76ers. As one of the favorites to win NBA Most Valuable Player this season, he still has something to prove given his team's previous woes in the postseason. The loss in Game 5 of this series is still hard to explain for a team that was cruising to an easy opening round win.
The one-point spread for Game 6 is a testament to the lack of confidence in Philadelphia as a legitimate title contender. However, this still appears like a gift for me.
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