Free Daily NCAAF Lock Pick, Friday October 27th: Florida Atlantic vs Charlotte 7:30pmET
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Two Atlantic Division rivals faceoff on Saturday night when the Philadelphia 76ers (0-1, 1-0 ATS) head north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors (1-0, 1-0 ATS). Philadelphia lost their opener in a tight battle against Milwaukee 118-117, but covered as 6-point underdogs. Toronto won their home opener against Minnesota 97-94 as 1-point favorites. The 76ers took three out of four matchups against the Raptors last season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 EST from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
(Note: Toronto is playing back-to-back games, this article was published before the conclusion of their Friday game in Chicago)
The Philadelphia 76ers got the unlucky assignment of opening the season in Milwaukee against the new-look Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo welcomed an All-Star teammate in Damian Lillard, while Joel Embiid's All-Star teammate was allegedly denied access to travel with the team. The referees may have missed a late travel when Giannis caught his own airball, but this was not the sole reason they lost. Lillard torched the 76ers defense for 39 in his Bucks' debut, and Milwaukee also won the rebounding and turnover battle.
Tyrese Maxey is a rising star in Philadelphia. The 6'2 guard averaged 20.3 PPG last season, and opened this season with a 31-piece on Milwaukee. With Harden out of the lineup, Maxey has the ball in his hands more often, and proved capable with eight assists and no turnovers in the game. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid had 24 points and seven rebounds, and continues to improve his shoo ting range as he knocked down three triples in the game. Tobias Harris had an efficient game, only missing one of his nine shot attempts on his way to a 20 point, seven rebound night. DeAnthony Melton stepped into Harden's starting spot and finished with ten points. PJ Tucker had a classic PJ Tucker game, he did not score and only took two shots in 26 minutes of action, but provided toughness and defense at a high level.
One of Philadelphia's biggest offseason acquisitions was Kelly Oubre, and he had an excellent game in the opener. Oubre went for 27 points off the bench, and shot 5-6 on his three point attempts. Performances like this will have the coaching staff questioning if PJ Tucker's minutes are truly worthy of a starting spot. No other bench player scored more than three points, but rotations were tight in the opener, other than Oubre no bench player played more than 14 minutes.
Injury Report:
O ut: James Harden
Free Daily NCAAF Lock Pick, Friday October 27th: Florida Atlantic vs Charlotte 7:30pmET CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW