Toronto Raptors odds: Best bets for Raptors-76ers series

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 11: Tobias Harris #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Gary Trent Jr. #33 and Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 11: Tobias Harris #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Gary Trent Jr. #33 and Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Toronto Raptors are ready to cement themselves as viable contenders ahead of their playoff matchup against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors won 48 games this season thanks to a crunching defense and some All-Star level performances from leaders like Fred VanVleet.

As is the case for most No. 5 seeds heading into a confrontation with a No. 4 seed, the Raptors are positioned as underdogs. Even though the Raptors have typically done well to limit Embiid, trying to slow down all of Philly’s weapons could prove to be problematic.

Very rarely is a team with an All-Star point guard, Rookie of the Year frontrunner, and All-NBA power forward coached by an NBA champion viewed as an underdog in a 4-5 playoff series, but that’s the situation the Raptors find themselves in. Las Vegas, like many talking heads, is not very bullish on Toronto’s potential.

Per our friends at WynnBET, the Raptors winning in six games has the most favorable odds of any outcome where Toronto advances at +500 (bet $100 to win $500). The 76ers winning in seven or five games is viewed as the most likely outcome at +350, with Philly in six coming in at +475. It’s safe to say the Raptors are a clear underdog.

Toronto Raptors odds: The 76ers are considered a slight favorite.

Philly sweeping was given a +850 line, with a Toronto sweep coming in at +2200. If you’re a bold individual, this might be the line for you. The series going seven games irrespective of the winner is listed at +185, with a sweep either way up on the board at +500.

The over-under for total games in this series is 5.5, with the over at -190 and the under at +145. While Vegas is giving the Raptors a puncher’s chance of potentially taking down the 76ers given these lines, they are much less bullish on their potential to make a deep playoff run.

While Joel Embiid is +1400 to win Finals MVP, the best odds of any Raptor is Pascal Siakam at +10000. That’s the same as Dillon Brooks, Tyrese Maxey, and Jrue Holiday. The Raptors are also listed as +5000 to win the title, which are the second-worst odds for any team that was not involved in the play-in tournament.

Toronto has been counted out long before the season began. This is nothing new to them. Even during their title run, this team was discounted and doubted right until the final buzzer sounded. Pulling off an upset to stick it to the haters would be nothing new to this team.