Nets vs. 76ers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
There were some around the NBA who were surprised that the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t fire coach Brett Brown during the All-Star break because his team has been so wildly inconsistent – terrible on the road but a dominant 25-2 at home. Very little doubt that Brown is fired this spring if the Sixers don’t at least get to the Eastern Conference Finals. The talent is certainly there. The Sixers are +600 third-favourites at Sports Interaction to win the East. They would be the No. 5 seed as things stand.
Brooklyn would be the No. 7 seed if the playoffs started today, and it’s incredibly unlikely the Nets climb any higher as they are six games behind No. 6 Indiana. The Nets are two games up on No. 8 Orlando and five on the first team outside the playoff field in the Washington Wizards. Brooklyn is +4500 to win the East. That’s not happening this season; maybe next with Kevin Durant is back.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This wraps up the season series between the 76ers and Nets, with Philadelphia leading 2-1. Ben Simmons is putting up 24.7 points, 8.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game vs. Brooklyn. Fellow All-Star Joel Embiid didn’t play in any of them. Tobias Harris is averaging 22.0 points. Spencer Dinwiddie leads the Nets in averaging 24.0 points vs. the Sixers. Star point guard Kyrie Irving played in just one of the three, and he won’t be on the court Thursday.
Philadelphia is 6-1 against the spread in the past seven meetings.
Brooklyn Nets
Here’s what the Nets have done since Jan. 26: Lose, win two, lose, win two, lose, win two. Brooklyn entered the break with a home 101-91 upset of the Raptors, ending the Dinos’ franchise-record 15-game winning streak. That was the longest win streak the Nets have snapped in their franchise history. Caris LeVert led with 20 points for Brooklyn, who had lost the past six vs. Toronto. Dinwiddie had 17 points and nine assists.
Irving has been in and out of the lineup all season with shoulder and knee problems and sat that one out. He apparently had a setback with the shoulder in practice Tuesday and will see a specialist for a second time. Irving is out indefinitely; he has missed a total of 33 games, and it’s starting to appear as if the best course of action is season-ending surgery. Then Irving is 100 percent next season when Durant returns and Brooklyn is a legit East contender. The Nets are 5-0 ATS in their past five games.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers have followed a four-game losing streak (all on the road) with three straight wins (all at home). Philadelphia showed what it’s capable with a 110-103 victory over Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers last Tuesday. That was the first time Kawhi faced the 76ers since his memorable multi-bounce buzzer-beating Game 7 shot in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals in Toronto. Simmons had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 boards and 10 assists in the win, and Embiid 26 points.
Philly traded for Golden State’s Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III before the break and Burks made his debut vs. the Clippers with two points in 14 minutes. Robinson debuted the game before. Philly is 6-2 ATS in its past eight at home.