NBA Playoffs 2022 on Saturday, 23.04.2022
If the Philadelphia 76ers win again at the Toronto Raptors, where do we go from here? Our NBA playoffs schedule provides an answer, while also giving readers an overview of the tournament tree.
Meanwhile, I hope that I will be right with my Raptors 76ers tip for the fourth time in a row. However, this time I won’t side straight with the Blue and Whites.
Instead, I’d rather hedge my bets with a handicap bet, as I expect Philadelphia to take the tempo out a bit tonight…
The Sixers now lead the series 3-0. The only question left in my mind is whether the Series will be declared over with another win tonight, or if the Raptors can at least make one more trip to Philadelphia.
But either way, the 76ers are simply too superior to their opponents! However, Game 3 – and thus the first of two home games for the Canadians – was the most exciting so far! The Blue and Whites even had to go into overtime!
There it was once again Joel Embiid, in my eyes the second best centre in the NBA, who hit the heart of all Raptors fans with a converted buzzer beater with 0.9 seconds on the clock – final score at Scotiabank Arena: 104 to 101 for the visitors.
The Raptors certainly proved that they have a young squad that is incredibly talented – even if they don’t have anyone who can seriously compete with Joel Embiid at the centre position right now.
But the Sixers also have a defensive specialist like Tobias Harris, who at first glance played a merely average game with eleven points and two rebounds – but was actually decisive for the game.
Because of his excellent defensive behaviour, his direct opponent, Pascal Siakam, was almost completely taken out of the game. The Raptors’ superstar, in fact, scored just 12 points and thus converted only 6 of his total of 16 attempts.
The Sixers are a well-balanced team at the back as well as at the front, which deserves to advance. Nevertheless, in my fourth Raptors Sixers tip, I will change fronts for the very first time – albeit only conditionally.
The Canadians came within a hair’s breadth of a win the day before yesterday and need a moment of success now more than ever to send the series back to Philadelphia. Therefore, I expect the home side to improve their performance once again.
The Sixers, on the other hand, can afford to slow down a bit! The starting five has been on the floor for a long time in the last three games, especially in yesterday’s overtime win.
The Sixers are a well-balanced team at the back as well as up front and deserve to advance. Nevertheless, in my fourth Raptors Sixers tip I will change the fronts for the very first time – albeit only conditionally.
The Canadians came within a hair’s breadth of a win the day before yesterday and now more than ever need a moment of success to send the series back to Philadelphia. Therefore, I expect the home side to improve their performance once again.
The Sixers, on the other hand, can afford to slow down a bit! The starting five has been on the floor for a long time in the last three games, especially in yesterday’s overtime win.
I can well imagine that 76ers coach Doc Rivers might go easy on Joel Embiid and James Harden and bring them in for less than 25 minutes each. If that’s the case, the pendulum would have to swing in the Raptors’ favor.
The 76ers’ rebounding advantage, which Embiid always provides, is devastating – in Game 3 alone, the Cameroonian caught 13 free balls and scored 33 points at the same time. Without him, this series would certainly have been very different …
We’ll see tonight whether my suspicion that the visitors will actually shift down a gear in view of their comfortable 3-0 lead will prove to be true.
The odds on the Blue and Whites to win are fluctuating around 1.63, which is even lower than the day before yesterday! A success for the Canadians, on the other hand, is traded at odds of around 2.35, depending on the exact provider.
Summary: The Sixers will prevail at the end of this series, they are simply too strong for that. The only question I have left is whether we’ll get to see just one more game or more like two.
I expect the Canadians to give it their all again tonight. On the other hand, the 76ers could save their strength a little bit…
Consequently, I expect another game on a knife’s edge. Toronto will only lose by a narrow margin, if at all.
My Raptors 76ers tip: Toronto wins with HC +7.5!
