Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers
Not a great start for the Raptors in this series as they went down to the 76ers in Game 1, 131-111. Their defence was poor against the likes of Maxey and Harris. Which is concerning considering they have to defence Embiid and Harden as well. While on offence, Gary Trent Jr. had a shocker shooting wise as went just 4 of 18. He's currently listed as questionable for this matchup along with Scottie Barnes. So the Raptors will need to lean on big games from Siakam and VanFleet.
On the flip side, the 76ers dominated Game 1 via Tyrese Maxey. With the focus on Harden/Embiid, Maxey went to work and scored 38 pts, shooting 19 of 29. Meanwhile, Harris scored 26 and that's a great sign considering he's had a quiet season for his standards. To top it off, the 76ers committed just 3 turnovers for the entire game. If they keep that up, a 2-0 series lead beckons before the series moves to Canada. In terms of injuries, the 76ers are looking healthy and have no major issues coming into Game 2.
The Raptors look undermanned in this series and we don't expect that to change in Game 2. Philly has covered in 5 of their last 7 at home against Toronto and this should be another comfortable margin.
Stadium Record
The 76ers are 5-1 in their last 6 at home. Toronto is 2-5 ATS in Philadelphia.
Head to Head Record
Philadelphia won game 1 by 20 points but the Raptors are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
Philadelphia 76ers -7.5 = $1.92
Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks
Utah kicked off the series with an important 99-93 road win over the Mavericks in Game 1. Donovan Mitchell played the majority of the game and finished with 32 points. He would like to be more efficient from the field as they shot just 10 of 29. But he was well supported by Bogdanovic's 26 pts in 40 minutes. One area of improvement for Game 2 will be in the turnover battle as they committed 14 in Game 1. There are no injuries to report from Game 1 for the healthy Jazz.
Without Luka Doncic, the Mavericks struggled in Game 1 as their offence is much weaker without their star player on the court. He's doubtful for Game 2 with a calf injury so the Mavs will be hoping he can play in Utah for Game 3 or 4. As a team, they shot just 38% from the field in Game 1 and the likes of Brunson/Dinwiddie both struggled to be efficient. So they'll need to step up in Game 2.
The Under looks like a great play in this series with the Mavs missing Doncic and the Jazz's strong defence. The Under has also gone 5-1 in their last 6 meetings in Utah.
Stadium Record
The Mavs are 6-1 in their last 7 home games. Utah has lost 18 of their last 25 in Dallas.
Head to Head Record
Utah is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings and won game 1 of the series 99-93.
Best Bet
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors
Denver will look to bounce back in Game 2 after a 123-107 loss in Game 1. The Nuggets will rue scoring issues in the 2nd and 3rd quarters as the Warriors got on top. Jokic had a decent game with 25 pts and 10 boards. But the Nuggets will know he needs to get 30+ pts per game to get past the Warriors. They'll also need more from the likes of Aaron Gordon who scored just 8 pts and struggled to get going. However, Barton showed good signs with 24 pts.
Jordan Poole made a statement in Game 1 with 30 points as the Warriors crushed the Nuggets in Game 1. Golden State also got Steph Curry back from injury and he played off the bench with a minutes limit. He should be better for the run in Game 2 but the form of Poole is a major positive as they can ease Curry into this series. Draymond Green also stepped up with 3 blocks and 9 assists. So the Warriors should be confident of a 2-0 series lead when they meet the Nuggets on home court this Tuesday.
After the Warriors scored 123 pts with Curry off the bench, the Nuggets defence doesn't look up to playoff standard, especially on the road. The Over is now 5-1 in their last 6 road games and we like it here as well.
Stadium Record
Golden State are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games. Denver has lost 11 of their last 15 on the road against the Warriors.
Head to Head Record
Since 2020, the head to head is locked at 5-5.
Best Bet
