Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Matchup Breakdown

Benches, Coaching & Series Prediction

Benches

The benches of these two teams are quite different, and this is one area where Toronto might hold a significant advantage. The Raptors are thought of as a deep team, whereas the 76ers are not.

Benches are always less important in the playoffs though, and both teams may end up only playing eight players each game.

The Raptors bring in Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka first, who are two of the best bench contributors in the league.

Norman Powell was third off the bench against Orlando and all evidence suggests that will continue. Patrick McCaw is also available to Nick Nurse once again, and his length and shooting ability may come in handy at some point. In a series like this, OG Anunoby would almost certainly get playing time, and not having him is a huge loss for the Raptors.

On the 76ers side, Mike Scott has been an important piece for them off the bench. He’s currently listed as out for Game 1 of this series. If he’s unable to play multiple games, it could prove debilitating for the 76ers second unit.

With Scott out, the 76ers will rely on their other bench options. Boban Marjanovic is a useful weapon who presents a size mismatch whenever he’s on the floor, T.J. McConnell is an energetic, floor-general who can provide a spark at times, and James Ennis will attempt to fill Mike Scott’s role as a 3-and-D option.

Still, in the end, the Raptors have more versatile bench players and are capable of winning the reserves battle.

Coaching

Brett Brown and Nick Nurse are both coaches under immense pressure to win now.

Brown has been harshly criticized for failing to make proper adjustments during last season’s playoff matchup with the Celtics. He may end up being let go if the 76ers don’t play the Raptors competitively in this series.

Brown coached the 76ers to the 3rd seed in the east despite not having Joel Embiid for a full healthy season, and despite having to adjust twice after in-season trades.

This series will be a tough test for Brown. The Raptors have a roster full of talented two-way players that will be difficult to scheme against. They can cause nightmares for even the most talented coaches.

Nick Nurse was handed a lot of adversity in his first year as an NBA head coach, and he’s handled it well.

Even though Lowry and Leonard missed significant time throughout the season, the Raptors were able to clinch the second-best record in the NBA.

Nurse’s willingness to experiment with different lineups and styles helped them in the regular season, and during this series Nurse will have to figure out what to throw at the 76ers, and when to do it.

Prediction

Both teams have a ton of talent to work with, but the Raptors have home court advantage, and the health advantage. If Embiid is anything less than 100%, the Raptors will exploit that weakness. The Raptors also have the superior bench, and their starters are all excellent defenders who will make the 76ers’ offensive weapons have to work hard for everything they get.

Raptors in 6.