It’s been a tale of two Raptor squads as we approach the 10th game of the year.
During their four-game losing streak, flashing red lights were blaring about their frantic defence.
They owned a 125.8 defensive rating, the second worst over that period.
Across these past four wins, the Raps are in a tier of their own with the league’s top defensive rating.
After a sluggish win over Atlanta to essentially lock up East Group A in the NBA Cup last night, they immediately got on a plane to Philly for the second game of a back-to-back.
The Sixers lay waiting after three days off and get a well-rested Joel Embiid against a Raps squad without Jakob Poeltl.
It’s not a great spot for Toronto but they’ve overperformed this past week.
With all those considerations in mind, this is the Same Game Parlay we cooked up for tonight’s game on TSN.
Use the YourWay feature on FanDuel to customize the legs exactly as I have.
All three selections together pays +307.
Jamal Shead, 4+ assists
We went with this leg last night and ran into Shead’s first game of the season where he didn’t clear four dimes.
Two of his passes ended in shooting fouls at the rim where Shead should’ve registered assists.
I like this leg both for the track record and the fact that he leads the Raps in potential assists per game.
He sits at 10.7, even though he’s eighth on the team in mpg.
I love that he’s fourth in the league at apg off the bench.
His role might be amplified in a game where Toronto’s starters might be a tad fatigued.
Tyrese Maxey, 26+ points
Maxey is currently the official scoring leader in the NBA at 33.5 ppg over eight games played.
With or without Embiid in the lineup, he’s clearly taken over as the alpha of this Philly team and is averaging a whopping 41.3 mpg.
Classic Nick Nurse behaviour.
You’d think that with Embiid active, his numbers would crater but it’s been exactly the opposite.
He sits at 34.4 ppg in five games alongside Embiid shooting 48/52/88 splits.
Maxey has cleared 26 points in all eight games this season and should get a bump with Toronto thin up front.
Kelly Oubre Jr., 13+ points
Oubre Jr. has been an underrated contributor to Philly’s early-season success.
He’s averaging 19.3 ppg which would be the second-best output of his 11 years in the NBA.
His shooting splits would rank as a career-best, 52/44/79.
With Embiid active and Toronto sans Poeltl, I anticipate Toronto sending help more often to minimize the damage done by the big man in the paint.
As a result, this should lead to more 4-on-3 opportunities for Philly with the ball swinging around the perimeter, likely ending in Oubre Jr.’s hands parked in the corner.
The Raps allow the second-highest frequency of shots from the corners.
No player on Philly has taken more corner threes than Oubre Jr. (13).
