Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors
Wednesday, 1/26/10, 7:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Philadelphia -3
Current Betting Line: Philadelphia -4.5
Opening Total: 199
Current Total: 200
Philadelphia topped the 100-point mark for the first time in nearly two weeks with a 105-95 win on Monday night over Phoenix and now looks to improve upon a dismal 5-18 road record against Toronto. The Sixers are led by the talents of forward Andre Iguodala, who is the team’s best all-around player. “My feeling is that, as we continue to get better, Andre is going to get more and more recognition,” said coach Doug Collins. “To me, he is a triple-double guy.” The team will need him to shine in tonight’s contest due to the club dropping six of the past seven meetings between the Raptors. Philadelphia has allowed Toronto to score 100-plus points in seven of the last eight meetings in the series. Philadelphia is 14-8 ATS on the road this season and currently favored on the NBA lines page.
The Sixers dropped the first meeting of the season with a 94-86 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on November 17, 2010, despite outscoring the Raptors 56-38 in the paint. Philadelphia enters tonight looking to win three straight for just the second time this season, but it will be tough to come by due to the squad dropping five straight on the road. This is the final road game of the month for Philly which has two more home games left to close out January. Since starting the season 3-13, the Sixers have gone 16-12. It’s important to point out that 12 of Philadelphia’s 19 wins have been by double-digits.
Toronto has lost eight consecutive games and it currently stands as the team’s longest such streak since dropping 10 in a row from March 26-April 12 during the 2005-06 season. During Monday’s games versus Memphis the Raptors had nine of its 15 players on the roster available to play. “I think they care,” said coach Jay Triano. “They like each other and they care and they want to be coached and they want to work hard. I don’t think you can ask for more than that.” Players have missed 133 games this season due to injury. Toronto is 6-10 ATS as a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points over the past three years.
The Raptors will undoubtedly be led by the scoring of center Andrea Bargnani, who has scored at least 28 points in the past two games. Toronto will also be looking for DeMar DeRozan to pitch in due to averaging 24.4 points over the past five games. The duo combined for 54 points in its latest 100-98 loss to the Grizzlies, as every other Toronto starter was also in double-figures.
Bettors will be interested in backing the Raptors due to their 6-1 ATS mark in the last seven meetings, while the Sixers are 3-9 ATS as a road favorite.
