The 82-game warmup is over for the Philadelphia Sixers and they will tip off their NBA playoff Round 1 matchup against the Toronto Raptors on April 16. The Sixers got through the Ben Simmons drama by trading the three-time All-Star – with Seth Curry and Andre Drummond – to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden in February.
The Sixers are favored at PA sportsbooks to advance in their Round 1 series against the Raptors. There are many ways to bet on the NBA playoffs and the Sixers at PA sports betting apps including moneyline and point spread. There are also markets at sportsbooks for Round 1 series betting
Sixers vs. Raptors Round 1 Game 1 betting odds
Philadelphia Sixers playoff futures
Sixers vs. Raptors Round 1 dates and times
Game 1: Sat., April 16: Raptors at Sixers, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Mon., April 18: Raptors at Sixers, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Wed., April 20: Sixers at Raptors, 8 p.m.
Game 4: Sat., April 23: Sixers at Raptors, 2 p.m.
Game 5*: Mon., April 25: Raptors at Sixers, TBA
Game 6*:Thu., April 28: Sixers at Raptors, TBA
Game 7*: Sat., April 30, Raptors at Sixers, TBA
Sixers vs. Raptors Round 1 playoff betting preview
As the No. 4 seed, the Sixers are favored to beat fifth-seeded Toronto. The Sixers will not have Matisse Thybulle for Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary) due to his vaccination status.
The Sixers lost the season series to Toronto 3-1, and did not cover in any of the four matchups. Here’s how it went:
- Nov. 11, 2021 in Philadelphia: Raptors 115, Sixers 109
- Dec. 28, 2021 in Toronto: Sixers 114, Raptors 109
- March 20, 2022 in Philadelphia: Raptors 93, Sixers 88
- April 7, 2022 in Toronto: Raptors 119, Sixers 114
Sixers vs. Raptors betting stats
- Raptors are 47-35 ATS (third-best in the NBA); Sixers are 38-43-1 ATS
- Raptors 41-41 O/U; Sixers 39-41-2 O/U
- Raptors average 109.4 ppg; Sixers 109.9 ppg
- Raptors average 107.1 points against per game; Sixers 107.3
Ways to bet on Sixers vs. Raptors playoff series
NBA playoff series props are available now at PA sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings.
Sixers vs. Raptors series odds at FanDuel
- Sixers: -178
- Raptors: +150
Sixers vs. Raptors series odds at DraftKings
- Sixers -180
- Raptors +150
Series spread at FanDuel
- Sixers -1.5 at +124
- Raptors +1.5 at -152
Series total games
- 4 Games: +600
- 5 Games: +240
- 6 Games: +195
- 7 Games: +190
Raptors vs. Sixers Player playoff props
Joel Embiid’s point- per-game prop for the series sits at 29 on DraftKings. Over 16 regular-season games against Toronto, the Raptors have held Embiid to 21.1 points-per-game. In the teams’ only playoff matchup in 2019, Embiid averaged 17.6 points per game in the infamous seven-game series for the Sixers.
Here are some more player series props you can bet on DraftKings Sportsbook PA.
Points-per-game:
- Pascal Siakam: 22.0
- James Harden: 21.1
- Fred VanVleet: 20.2
- Gary Trent Jr.: 17.9
- Tobias Harris: 17.2
- Tyrese Maxey: 16.8
Threes made per-game:
- Fred VanVleet: 3.8
- Gary Trent Jr.: 3.0
- James Harden: 2.4
- Tyrese Maxey: 1.8
Player matchups:
Who will have more points in the series:
- Gary Trent Jr. – 160 vs. Tyrese Maxey +130
- Pascal Siakam -175 vs. James Harden +140
Sixers vs. Raptors betting predictions
Is Shaq actin’ a fool? The Hall of Famer emphatically picked the Sixers to sweep Toronto out of the first round.
ESPN polled 17 personalities and all but five are picking the Sixers to win the series. None have gone as bold as Shaq, however. They all believe it is going to be a six- or seven-game series.
Bet on how far the Sixers will go in the playoffs
You can also bet on the Sixers’ stage of elimination on BetMGM. They have not reached at least the conference finals since 2000-01.
- Out in first round: +150
- Lose in conference semifinals: +190
- Conference finals loss: +300
- NBA Finals loss: +1100
- Win NBA Finals: +1200
Should Embiid win MVP?
Joel Embiid had a case to win league MVP last season. The reason he didn’t was likely because of the (lack) of games played. This season, Embiid played in a career-high 68 games and averaged a league-best 30.6 points per game. No center has averaged more than 30 points per game since 1982.
Embiid started the season at +700 to win NBA MVP, but that number dipped after contracting COVID in November causing the star to miss nine games. He retook the lead on Denver’s Nikola Jokic on DraftKings in late January and has been the odds-on favorite to win MVP until March 31, when the two were in a dead-heat where both players were at minus odds.
Embiid leads the league in scoring, put up numbers no center has in 40 years and has the most 40-point, 10-rebound games in a single season (13) since 1975-76.
There’s no way Embiid can lose the MVP again, right? Jokic closed at -300 and Embiid at +300 before sportsbooks took it off the board at the end of the regular season.
If you think the Sixers are going to make a deep playoff run, Embiid will have to carry the team as he has all year. He’s listed seventh on DraftKings at +1500 to win the Finals MVP. On FanDuel, Embiid is ninth at +1800. BetMGM has Embiid sixth at +1400.
If Embiid wins Finals MVP, he’ll probably be in a much better mood about losing the regular season MVP, should that happen.
Best odds to win the NBA Eastern Conference
Lead image c/o Shutterstock
