Suns vs. 76ers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
The Eastern Conference’s best team, the Philadelphia 76ers, are set to play host on Wednesday night to the No. 2 team from the West, the Phoenix Suns. The Sixers are looking to get back in the win column after a 107-96 loss to Golden State on Monday, while Phoenix is two days removed from a tight 128-127 OT win over Milwaukee.
This game essentially opened as a pick’em with Phoenix a 1-point favourite to win on the NBA odds with a total of 220.5.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Phoenix has been playing great on the road. The Suns are 14-3 straight up in their last 17 road games, including picking up four wins as the underdog. They’ve gone 11-5-1 against the spread in those games. The fact that Phoenix is a road favourite with Joel Embiid in the Sixers’ lineup is a testament to how good the Suns are this season. The Suns have put up at least 120 points in seven of their last 11 games, hitting the Over eight times in that span.
The Sixers have one of the best home records in the NBA at 22-6, but they’ve struggled to cover the spread at Wells Fargo Center. Philly has failed to cover in five straight home games and they’re 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The total has gone Under in six of Philadelphia’s last seven games. It’s worth keeping in mind, however, the total has gone Over five of the last six times these teams have met.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns have been a balanced and responsible team all season. They’re one of the few teams in the league that ranks in the top-10 of all the major offensive and defensive categories, including seventh in points per game (114.7) and fifth in points-against per game (108.2). Chris Paul’s near triple-double game of 22 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists on Monday marked a career milestone for the well-travelled veteran. Paul passed Magic Johnson for fifth on the all-time NBA assists leaderboard and he is the leader of all active players. He’s averaging 15.7 points per game and leads the team in assists (8.8) and steals (1.5).
It was Devin Booker’s last-second free throw that sealed the deal for the Suns on Monday. Booker finished with a team-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. He’s averaging a team-high 25.4 points per game and only missed out on an all-star appearance because of injury.
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia’s defence has been the biggest part of their success this season and when you combine that with Embiid’s dominance in the paint, this team is poised to do some serious damage in the playoffs. They’re within the top-10 of all the major defensive categories, including leading the NBA in blocks (6.3 per game) and ranking second in steals (8.9). The big question for this game will be the availability of Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Ben Simmons. He was ruled out of the Golden State game on Monday with a non-COVID related illness and his status for Wednesday is up in the air. Simmons has put up 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and he also leads the Sixers in assists (7.1) and steals (1.6).
Regardless of Simmons’ availability, Embiid will play a big part for Philadelphia on Wednesday. Embiid has been a force at both ends of the court and is dominating opponents in the paint. The Cameroonian big man has been in MVP contention all season. He’s averaging 29.9 points (team-high), 11.2 rebounds (team-high), 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
PHO
PHI