The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors in Game 2, 112-97, to go up 2-0 in the series. Will the Sixers make it three in a row and keep their hopes alive for a sweep alive with a win in Game 3? Or will the Raptors cut Philly’s series lead in half? Check out our preview below of this Sixers vs. Raptors 2022 NBA Playoffs matchup.
The Sixers have clearly established their dominance in the series. They are headed to Toronto with still home-court advantage after back-to-back wins at home to start the first round. Both have been dominant Sixers wins, as Philly won each by at least 15 points. In Game 2, Tyrese Maxey continued to shine with 23 points. He is now averaging 30.5 points on 68.8 percent shooting in the playoffs . James Harden hasn’t been producing a lot scoring-wise, but he’s been running the offense with 10.0 assists per contest in the first round. Then there’s Joel Embiid, who’s simply been a massive problem for Toronto. Embiid scored 31 point wiht 11 rebounds and shot 12/14 from the foul line in Game 2. Toronto just doesn’t have enough muscle to stop Embiid. The Raptors can play denial and limit his touches, but Maxey, Harden, and Tobias Harris can pick up the slack.
The Sixers are 2-0 against the spread so far in this first-round series.
The Raptors are a loss away from being virtually eliminated from the playoffs. No team in the history of the NBA has ever rebounded from a 0-3 deficit and win a playoffs series. The good thing for Toronto is that Game 3 is at home, where the crowd will be feeding the Raptors much-needed moral support. Scottie Barnes, who missed Game 2, remains uncertain for Game 3, as of this writing. But with an extremely crucial game ahead, he might get forced to play even at less than 100 percent condition. Another question mark for the Raptors is the status of Gary Trent Jr., who is dealing with an illness. The Raptors still have Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, but both were ice cold in Game 2. They combined for 40 points but were a salty 14/43 shooting from the field. Although Harden and Embiid are a struggle to contain, the Raptors are having success in forcing the two to commit turnovers. Harden and Embiit had nine of the Sixers’ 16 turnovers in Game 2, with Toronto scoring 17 points off those errors.
The Raptors are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 home games versus Philadelphia.
