76ers vs. Raptors: Predictions, schedule, TV channels for 1st Round in 2022 NBA Playoffs

The 76ers will face the Raptors in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

In finishing the season with a 51-31 record, the 76ers secured the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. A few games behind them in the standings were the Raptors (48-34), who have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last few weeks.

The Raptors won the season series with the 76ers, with each game being decided by single digits.

• Nov. 11, 2021: Fred VanVleet scored 32 points in a six-point win for the Raptors.
• Dec. 28, 2021: Joel Embiid posted a 36-point, 11-rebound double-double in a five-point win for the 76ers.
• March 20, 2022: Pascal Siakam finished with a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double in a five-point win for the Raptors.
• April 7, 2022: Siakam recorded his second triple-double of the season in a five-point win for the Raptors.

From a key matchup to watch to our TSN staff predictions, here's everything you need to know about the series.

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The best player in the series is...

No surprises here: Joel Embiid is the best player in the series.

Averaging 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, Embiid will likely be a finalist for MVP for the second straight season. He might even win the award. It's been a season full of uncertainty for the 76ers, but Embiid's play has powered them to a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

With his bruising post game and improved jump shot, Embiid's graduated to the point where there isn't really an answer for him anymore, but the Raptors do have a history of defending him well.

Embiid has played 17 regular-season games against the Raptors. His averages in those contests? 21.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 42.2 percent shooting from the field. He has a lower career scoring average against only one team and a lower career shooting percentage against only two teams.

Embiid has also faced the Raptors in the playoffs once to this point of his career. The 76ers were an entirely different team with him on the court, but he averaged 17.6 points on 37.0 percent shooting from the field over the seven-game series.

Embiid has talked about what the Raptors do so well against him in the past. It'll be fascinating to see if they can continue to make life difficult for him. If they can, it'll put even more pressure on James Harden to step up. 

Dominant as Harden was when the 76ers first acquired him, he's been concerningly up and down since.

Key matchup to watch

There's much more to the Raptors than Pascal Siakam, but they'll likely need a big series from him to advance.

Siakam finished the season averaging 22.8 points per game, the most on the Raptors and a shade under his career-high. He also averaged 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, both of which were career highs. He got better and better as the season wore on, culminating in him playing the best basketball of his career in the months of March and April.

The 76ers are well aware of what Siakam is capable of. In Toronto's win over Philadelphia on April 7, he dominated with 37 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and he made some key plays when it mattered most.

The @Raptors erased a 15-point deficit led by Pascal Siakam, who dropped 23 points in the second half to lift them to victory! #WeTheNorth

🌶 37 PTS 🌶 11 REB 🌶 12 AST 🌶 2 STL pic.twitter.com/GgUJrnqXRY

— NBA (@NBA) April 8, 2022

The Raptors came out on top, but Siakam struggled when the two teams met in the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Embiid played a big role in that by taking on the challenge of guarding Siakam following a standout Game 1 and limiting him to 39 points on 14-for-45 (31.1 percent) shooting from the field in the series.

Embiid wasn't shy about giving Siakam space, sometimes dropping all the way to the paint to encourage Siakam to settle for jump shots and make it difficult for him to get to the basket.

Both Siakam and Embiid have improved a lot since that series, adding even more firepower to this matchup.

With defensive ace Matisse Thybulle ineligible to play in at least two games of the series, Embiid figures to spend a decent amount of time guarding Siakam again.

76ers vs. Raptors schedule, TV channels

Game 1 will be played in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 16 at 6 p.m. ET.

• Game 1: Raptors at 76ers — Saturday, April 16 (6 p.m., ESPN)
• Game 2: Raptors at 76ers — Monday, April 18 (7:30 p.m., TNT)
• Game 3: 76ers at Raptors — Wednesday, April 20 (8 p.m., NBA TV)
• Game 4: 76ers at Raptors — Saturday, April 23 (2 p.m., TNT)
• Game 5: Raptors at 76ers — Monday, April 25 (TBD)*
• Game 6: 76ers at Raptors — Thursday, April 28 (TBD)*
• Game 7: Raptors at 76ers — Saturday, April 30 (TBD, TNT)*

* If necessary

76ers vs. Raptors predictions

Scott Rafferty: Raptors in seven games

Gilbert McGregor: Raptors in six games

Ananth Pandian: Raptors in six games

Micah Adams: Raptors in six games

Carlan Gay: Raptors in six games