Philadelphia (29-16) at Toronto (29-14)
When: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020
Where: Scotiabank Arena,
Toronto, Ontario
Time: 7:05 ET | TV: ESPN
Opening Odds: Toronto -6/216
The Philadelphia 76ers seem to be getting along just fine right now without their star center, but the competition ramps up on Wednesday. Joel Embiid will be sidelined once again when the Sixers visit the red-hot – and healthy – Toronto Raptors in a big Eastern Conference matchup. The 76ers extended their winning streak to four in a row as All-Star point guard Ben Simmons wants to prove he can carry a team. Simmons recorded a triple-double with 34 points on 12-of-14 shooting, 12 rebounds and 12 assists while adding five steals in a 117-111 win at Brooklyn. Philly’s four wins have come against teams with losing records after losing two in a row against Indiana and Dallas. The Raptors are playing like a legitimate NBA Finals contender since the returns of Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell. Toronto is averaging 128.5 points during their current four-game winning streak after a 122-117 victory at Atlanta on Monday afternoon. Powell scored a team-high 27 points while going 6-of-9 from 3-point range. The teams have split their two meetings thus far this season including a 101-96 victory at home for the Raptors on Nov. 25.
Philadelphia is just 9-14 on the road this season (7-14-2 ATS), but are 2-0 on their current three-game trek along the East Coast. The 76ers began the trip with a 90-87 win at New York on Saturday before edging out Brooklyn. Tobias Harris and shooting guard Matisse Thybulle have struggled shooting the ball lately, with Harris averaging 14.3 points on 15-of-42 shooting over the last three contests, but did score 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting on Jan. 15 versus the Nets. Thybulle is 4-of-25 from 3-point range in seven games this month. Philly will host the Los Angeles Lakers on ABC’s Saturday night Showcase.
Raptors shooting guard Terence Davis also contributed big off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 19 minutes on Monday after going scoreless at Minnesota on Saturday. Fellow reserve Powell scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone on Monday and reached 20 or more in each of his five games since returning to the lineup. Gasol is averaging 13.3 points and is 11-of-21 from 3-point range in four games since coming back from a hamstring injury, while VanVleet has averaged 24.5 points over the last two games. Veteran Kyle Lowry was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc on Monday.
This Toronto team is on fire and much deeper than Philadelphia, especially without Embiid. This seems like a lot of points to lay, but I feel pretty confident in doing so here.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for Wednesday. He is 47-40-3 (54%) on the season!
Pick: Raptors -6
76ers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
76ers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a road favorite.
76ers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
76ers are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
76ers are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
76ers are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 road games.
76ers are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Raptors are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games playing on 1 days rest.
Raptors are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS loss.
Raptors are 5-2-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a home underdog.
Raptors are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Raptors are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win.
Under is 4-0 in 76ers last 4 games following a ATS win.
Under is 4-0 in 76ers last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 4-0 in 76ers last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 5-1 in 76ers last 6 games following a straight up win.
Under is 5-1 in 76ers last 6 road games.
Under is 4-1 in 76ers last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 4-1 in 76ers last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Under is 7-2 in 76ers last 9 games as a road favorite.
Under is 7-2-1 in 76ers last 10 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Under is 6-2 in 76ers last 8 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 5-2 in 76ers last 7 overall.
Under is 5-2 in 76ers last 7 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 5-2 in 76ers last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Over is 39-16 in 76ers last 55 Wednesday games.
Over is 7-3 in 76ers last 10 games as a favorite.
Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 overall.
Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 9-2 in Raptors last 11 Wednesday games.
Under is 4-1 in Raptors last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Under is 4-1 in Raptors last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.
Under is 4-1 in Raptors last 5 home games.
Under is 7-2-1 in Raptors last 10 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Under is 9-3-1 in Raptors last 13 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 5-2-1 in Raptors last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
76ers are 2-7 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Toronto.
Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings.
Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Toronto.
