Fresh off their second-biggest loss in franchise history the Toronto Raptors will return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night as expected underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Sporting a lineup depleted by COVID-19 and featuring four replacement players recently signed to 10-day contracts, Toronto suffered a crushing 144-99 loss in Cleveland on Sunday that marked the team's second loss in three outings heading into Tuesday night's matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors' 45-point loss marked their biggest margin of defeat since suffering a 125-79 beatdown at the hands of the New York Knicks during their inaugural 1995/96 NBA campaign. But under the circumstances, it came as little surprise as the team was missing its six top scorers, all of whom remained in health and safety protocols as of Monday morning. Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., and Khem Birch have since cleared protocols and are listed as questionable for Tuesday's contest.
On a positive note, Yuta Watanabe seized his opportunity on Sunday. Watanabe drained a career-high 26 points while adding 13 rebounds to record his second double-double in four outings. The team's four replacement players combined to score 35 points, with DJ Wilson leading the way with 15 points and eight rebounds.
The Raptors have also been steady on home hardwood, going 5-1 straight up and against the spread in their past six such outings. The team is also 12-5 SU in its past 17 regular season meetings with the 76ers, according to the OddsShark NBA Database. That includes an 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS record in their past nine home dates.
The Sixers, meanwhile, travel to Toronto after opening their current three-game road trip with a 117-96 win in Washington on Boxing Day to improve to 3-5 SU in their past eight games. Philadelphia has covered at sports betting sites in just five of its past 15 overall outings, including a 4-5 ATS record on the road during that stretch. And while the Sixers have claimed SU wins in five of seven road dates they have lost two of their past three as road favourites, and are 1-4 ATS in their past five as road chalk.
The Sixers are also dealing with COVID issues of their own as they head north of the border. As of Monday afternoon, the list of Sixers players still sidelined by health and safety protocols included Andre Drummond and former Raptors player Danny Green.
Joel Embiid's production, though, has not been impacted by the team's recent COVID woes. The four-time NBA All-Star has averaged 33.3 points and 11 rebounds while tallying double-doubles in each of his past three outings, and has also recorded double-doubles in nine of his past 11 regular season appearances against the Raptors.
