Toronto +1.5 Series Games

The Raptors play aggressively on both ends of the floor and they have what it takes to make things difficult for the Sixers. Nurse is a great in game coach and will put Toronto in a lot of good spots. They were 3-1 against Philly this year in the regular season and present some real matchup issues with their length and versatility on defense.

The Sixers really haven't been able to live up to the hype that came along with the Harden acquisition. Their defense isn't very good and they really struggle with teams who play with pace, like the Raptors, who love to run and get out in transition. Then you add in the Raptors stellar defense vs a 76ers team that struggles on that can get stagnant at times on offense. The 76ers depth is also a big issue, they really don't have much outside of their starting 5 and if it's not Harden or Embid there really isn't a lot of offensive production.

Also, you have the added element of Thybulle not being able to play in Toronto, which takes away their best on ball defender. Their defensive rating really drops when he's not on the floor and then when Thybulle and Embid aren't on the floor, so when Embid gets a rest, it gets even worse. We like the Raptors the cover the series spread and could easily see them winning this series.

Milwaukee Bucks win 4-0 Games +250

This is a dream matchup for the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo proved last season that he can play in the playoffs and is generally unstoppable all around averaging 30.2 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game while shooting 56.9% from the field last postseason. The Bucks come in hot finishing the regular season strong while the Bulls have been abysmal. Chicago allowed 113.6 points per 100 possessions this season for the 9th-worst defensive rating in the league, nearly two full points worse than the 2021-22 league-average mark. Now they have to figure out a way to deal with Giannis, good luck.

Furthermore, the Bulls ranked 20th in Net Rating, finishing the season with a negative point differential. From the All-Star break on Chicago had a 7-15 record, the 6th worst in the entire league during this stretch. Their -7.9 net rating was 3rd worst during this stretch, too. Only the tanking Trail Blazers and Thunder were worse over the season's final seven weeks of action. The fact that this team didn't fall any lower than the 6th-seed almost feels like a miracle. We think the Bucks will handle them easily and you can get out the brooms.