The first game of the Eastern Conference semifinal between Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers was not exactly balanced (final score 108-95 Raptors), but for those who could appreciate the intricacies of the duel noticed that Kawhi Leonard and company were in control practically from start to finish and took a clear triumph that could be a good indicator of how the rest of the series between them will be.
Leonard led the Raptors to victory with 45 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to Pascal Siakam who added 29 points, which could be equally valuable is that made by Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka covering the Cameroonian Joel Embiid, who leads the Sixers in points per game and in this duel was limited to 16 points. If the Raptors continue to do a good job covering the rival center, Philadelphia will drastically see their opportunities reduced in this competition.
This victory at the Air Canada Center was something historic for Toronto, as it was only his third Game 1 (3-14) won in history (the last had been in 2001 against Philadelphia) and represented his fifth win in a row in the Playoffs , which is a brand of the franchise. If we add this data to the fact that the Raptors have 14 straight wins against the 76ers and a mark of 22-3 since the 2013-2014 season and that Kawhi Leonard has never lost to this team in 14 duels played during his career, it is more It is evident that the Canadians, second seeds of the East, are clear favorites to reach the final of the Conference and fight for a place in the Finals of the NBA against the King of the West.
The Sixers are hoping they are over by 2.4 points the points that they scored during the regular season and that have a lot of potential. Surprisingly, Tobias Harris is sub-leading the team in points this postseason ahead of Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler. If one of these two takes a step forward, it will not be so easy for Toronto to annul Embiid and could cause chaos in the paint, which would benefit Philadelphia and could end up being key to take some triumph in the anteroom of the series for the title of the Eastern Conference. Now, as it happened in the last game, Toronto should cover the line of -6.5 for those who invest in them to collect, in addition to the 220.5 points could also be exceeded if Embiid or Kyle Lowry, who had low records annotadores in the first encounter of the series, they leave a little more inspired for the meeting of this Monday.
After Milwaukee Bucks loss last night’ against the Boston Celtics, the Raptors are now favorites to win the Eastern Conference title with +140 odds that don’t look so flashy given the complexity of the series they play and the fact that the Bucks are still favorites to go back against the Celtics.