The second day of May on Thursday brings just one NBA playoff game with it, and it’s from the Eastern Conference: Second-seeded Toronto Raptors at No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers. The game opened as a pick’em with a total of 214 but now has Toronto at -1.5. With the series knotted at 1-1, the Raptors are -200 and the 76ers +170. When a best-of-seven series is tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner takes the series the vast majority of the time. That’s true in any sport.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
If you don’t have a dog in this fight, perhaps root for the Raptors? Those folks in the city of Toronto could use some good sporting news in the major American sports leagues. The longest drought in the NHL of reaching the Stanley Cup final belongs to the Maple Leafs, and Toronto is probably the most fanatic hockey market in the world. The Leafs were knocked out of the first round this year by the Boston Bruins.
MLB’s Blue Jays reached the ALCS in 2015 and 2016 but lost in both. The Blue Jays haven’t been to the World Series since winning a second straight in 1993. Of course, there’s no NFL team in Canada, but the CFL’s Argonauts are coming off a horrible 4-14 season in 2018.
The Raptors dominated Game 1 against the 76ers and were 8-point favorites in Game 2 but were upset 94-89. Now, if you had told a Toronto backer before that game that 76ers star Joel Embiid, who was playing through an illness, would be held to just 12 points and six rebounds in 32 minutes, well, one would expect an easy Raptors cover.
However, Jimmy Butler picked up the slack in a big way with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 43 minutes. Butler, who is set for free agency this summer (but may well re-sign), was only the second 76ers player in the past 35 seasons with at least 30 points, 10 boards and five helpers in a playoff game, joining Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. No other 76ers player had more than 13 points and the team shot just 39.5 percent from the field – yet ended a 14-game losing streak in Toronto.
Toronto, though, hit only 36.3 percent from the field and got to the free-throw line 11 fewer times – that’s unusual for a home team in an NBA game. Kawhi Leonard had 35 points, Pascal Siakam 21 and Kyle Lowry 20, but no one else had more than five. Danny Green was 1-for-8 shooting and missed a potential tying three-pointer in the final seconds. The Raptors’ bench was supposed to be a huge advantage but totaled a scant five points to 26 for the Philly reserves. The home team is now 6-2 ATS in the past eight meetings.
