NBA: Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Pick and Predictions 10/26/2022

Game: 7:40 PM ET, Wednesday, October 26th

Venue:  Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

76ers: 1-3, 12th place Eastern Conference

Raptors: 2-2, 8th place Eastern Conference

DraftKings:  Point Spread: 76ers -1.5; O/U 222.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: N/A

Fanduel: Point Spread: 76ers -1; O/U 222.5

76ers: PG Tyrese Maxey, SG James Harden, SF Tobias Harris, PF PJ Tucker, C Joel Embiid

Raptors: PG Fred VanVleet, SG Gary Trent Jr, SF OG Anunoby, PF Precious Anchiuwa, C Pascal Siakam

An Eastern Conference matchup of dramatically lowered expectations.  The 2022-23 NBA season is only ten days old and most if not all teams have played just 4 games… It is crystal clear that the 76ers are not living up to their roster’s abilities.  It seems to be a struggle for Philly… In a way it shouldn’t be with a current NBA candidate and a former League MVP in the starting line-up and surrounded by good players.  The Toronto Raptors on the other hand are 2-2, .500 after 4 games. Which is the sort of outcome that lands you firmly in the middle notched with the Chicago Bulls.  The Raptors have a solid roster with Great young player in Scottie barnes… but they are still playing Pascal Siakam out of position because they have no true center… AND they are playing Scottie Barnes away from his strength because the team is hooked on Fred Van Vleet playing the point instead of the 2.  One of these teams will break… while the other will taste sweet oxygen… Let’s look at the numbers and make a wager.

The Philadelphia 76ers are challenged in a way you simply can’t immediately see.  They will put two players into the all-star game barring injury.  They have studs at the other 3 starting positions.  Guys who can really score and guys who are trying to defend, yet they keep losing.  The season is a newborn with plenty lying ahead.  These Sixers will turn things around, finish in the top-4 or 5 and be a dangerous matchup for anyone in the Playoffs… but what is wrong now? The simple answer is that they aren’t playing like a team.  SG James Harden came out gunning this season and holding the ball too much!… Doc needs him to be the assist man.  C Joel Embiid came out deferring to James… Doc needs him as the lead dog…. And both guys need Tobias Harris to shut down the other team's leading scorer on defense.  This team has lost to the Celtics and the Bucks… which is both forgivable and expected… but they also lost to the San Antonio Spurs?!!  A team tanking so hard Private Ryan is preparing a sticky bomb for them!  Their lone win has come against the Indiana Pacers!  Teamwork is the key moving forward… sadly for the 76ers they had a perfect teamwork guy in the fold when they had SF Jimmy Butler.

The Toronto Raptors have a great GM, a good coach, and a solid roster. They have notched losses to the Heat and Nets… with wins against the Heat and Cavaliers.  They are trudging along. Scottie Barnes and Otto Porter Jr have missed games with ankle issues… which could be a very big part of their problems.  However they still have the amazing play of Pascal Siakam who logs 26.5 pts and 10 rbs per game from the Center position… PF Precious Anchiuwa is good for 11 rebounds while PG Fred Van Vleet is good for 8.2 assists a game…. The real problem up North may be the rotation of bigs with Khem Birch, Chris Boucher, and Precious Anchiuwa all being PF… and their Center Pascal Siakam is essentially the team’s best Power Forward…. Why this team doesn’t scoop Indiana Center Myles Turner BEFORE the Lakers land him is mind-boggling at the moment.

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The Sixers are 25th in scoring with 107.5 points per game, 30th in rebounds with 38.5 per game, 10th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9, and 18th in blocks with 5.0 per game.

The Raptors are 27th in scoring with 105 points per game, 23rd in rebounds with 42.8 per game, 8th in AST/TO ratio with 2.0, and 21st in blocks with 4.8 per game.

Our prediction for Wednesday, October 26th is…. 76ers 110 - Raptors 106

The Sixers should get the game with the huge advantage of having Embiid barrel through a pack of Power Forwards.  Plus if Scottie Barnes misses another game… The Raptors simply won’t be as Swiss Army Knife-esque as they usually are.

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The Raptors have gone 285-193 (+72.7 UNITS) over the last 5 seasons after going Under the total in their last 3 games.

Toronto is 69-46 ATS versus Philadelphia since 1996.

76ers: SG James Harden.  James has a Hall of Fame spot waiting for him… but his current challenge isn’t the statline… it’s the teamwork.

Raptors: SG Fred VanVleet.  Fred has shown up big in postseason games for the Toronto Raptors.  He hits big shots and he makes smart plays.  He has one thing to prove… Can he grind in the regular season with the same level of intensity?

76ers: Doc “Father Time” Rivers

Raptors” Nick “buy my hat” Nurse