Getty Tobias Harris #33 and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers react in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets during game three of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 18, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
The Toronto Raptors look to close out the Philadelphia Sixers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday night.
Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 PM ET
Wells Fargo Center
Coverage: ESPN
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Bookmaker
- Toronto Raptors (-2 at -110) vs. Philadelphia Sixers
- Over/Under: 213 at -110
Ben Simmons Struggles Again
Simmons has more shots than points over the last 4 games.
Ben Simmons’ greatest weakness was exposed once again as the Sixers were completely destroyed, 125-89 in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss, which has their season on the brink.
With the series tied 2-2 the star players had to step up for both teams and while Kawhi Leonard did just that for the Raptors, scoring 21 points to go along with 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid didn’t make an impact and the Sixers trailed by 21 points at halftime and never recovered.
Ben Simmons finished the game with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, making 3 of the 5 shots he attempted. Simmons has more shots (34) than points (33) over the last four games and his struggles in this series resemble his poor effort in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Celtics.
Simmons averaged just 14.4 points per game in that second round series against the Celtics and he’s been even less aggressive and effective in this series, averaging just 9.4 points per game.
The Raptors didn’t even need Leonard to have a monster game to get the win. It was Pascal Siakam who led the way on Tuesday with 25 points and eight rebounds, Kyle Lowry had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists and Danny Green stepped up with 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting from 3-point range.
Jimmy Butler did the best he could, leading the Sixers with 22 points but he was just 6-for-16 from the field and Tobias Harris added 15 points and six rebounds on 6 of 12 shooting but JJ Redick had just three points on 1 of 6 shooting and 1 of 3 from downtown in 31 minutes and James Ennis III had one point, missing the four shots he attempted (three from beyond the arc) in 23 minutes off the bench to finish with a -30 plus/minus.
No offence to Danny Green, who is an incredible player but there should never be a time when he almost outscores Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid combined. Simmons and Embiid have to play like All-Stars and they just didn’t show up.
Raptors vs. Sixers Trends and Prediction
The Under is:
- 6-0-1 in Toronto’s last seven road games
- 6-0-1 in Toronto’s last seven road games against a team with a winning home record
- 7-2-1 in Toronto’s last 10 games following a straight up win
- 8-1 in Philadelphia’s last nine home games against a team with a winning road record
- 6-1 in Philadelphia’s last seven overall
- 6-1 in Philadelphia’s last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents
- 5-1 in the last six meetings
Kawhi puts Embiid on a poster 😳 (via @NBAonTNT)
Ben Simmons is clearly struggling, particularly in the last two games and Joel Embiid never seems to be healthy when it matters. The whole team was a no-show in Game 5, except for Jimmy Butler but the sloppy efforts of Simmons and Embiid set the tone for the Sixers and it could be too late for them to find a way back from that.
This should be a low-scoring game, the Raptors like to slow the pace down and they lead all playoff teams in defensive efficiency.
Total results in this series:
Game 1: Under 223
Game 2: Under 220
Game 3: Under 216
Game 4: Under 215
Game 5: Over 213
Team rankings based on pace in the playoffs:
Raptors – 12th (98.0 possessions per game)
Sixers – 5th (103.0 possessions per game)
Team rankings based on offensive efficiency in the playoffs:
Raptors – 6th (108.0 points scored per 100 possessions)
Sixers – 9th (106.5 points scored per 100 possessions)
Team rankings based on defensive efficiency in the playoffs:
Raptors – 1st (96.1 points allowed per 100 possessions)
Sixers – 6th (104.8 points allowed per 100 possessions)
Pick: Under 213
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Raptors vs. Sixers Game 6 Prediction: Betting Odds, Line & Pick