Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets betting tips and predictions for Wednesday’s NBA game on ESPN. For the first time since being traded away, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will finally square off against each other as the Nets take on the 76ers tonight in Philadelphia. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Philadelphia 76ers
The last time the Sixers faced the Nets it ended with a 115-106 home win, spoiling the home return of Ben Simmons. It was a pretty remarkable win for the 76ers as they were without Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey in that game. Embiid and Harden also rested in the last Philly game at Sacramento, but the rest of the team stepped up and they were able to win their 5th game in a row.
Both are expected back in the line-up tonight as the Sixers come back home after a successful West coast road trip. Only 1 game separates these two teams in the standings, so tonight’s game is carrying a lot of weight for both sides. Philadelphia holds a 7-2 SU edge in the last 9 meetings at Wells Fargo Center.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn has finally turned things around following a 4-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Utah and Golden State. Kyrie Irving has stepped up his scoring big time in those wins, he has to as Kevin Durant is still at least 2 weeks away from coming back according to sources.
It’s always a tricky game when you face an opponent like Philadelphia on the road, but the Nets won’t be without a chance here as they’ve gone 11-3 SU in their last 14 road games. Other than Kevin Durant, they are doing really well injury wise, so we can expect them to come out firing right from the get go here. Brooklyn is actually outscoring the Sixers over the last 10 meetings despite winning just 4 of those games.
The average margin of victory during this 5 game win streak for Philadelphia has been just 4.8 points. Everyone is expecting the Sixers to blow out the Nets as they don’t have Durant, I think Brooklyn will have it in them to keep this game close, even if they pulled out a road victory here I wouldn’t be surprised. Take the away team and the extra points.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets Predictions & Odds
A lot of defense is expected to be seen in tonight’s game as these two teams rank 3rd and 4th in defensive efficiency allowing just 108.3 and 108.4 possessions per game. Even with their big 3 available, the Nets were able to put up just 106 points on a shorthanded Sixers team in the first meeting of the season. Durant’s absence means head coach Jacque Vaughn needs to adjust the team to make up for his 30 points per game average somehow.
The Nets do have a lot of depth, but on the road they are just 10-15-1 on the O/U this season, plus their last 7 of 9 games have all gone under the total. The 76ers have trended towards the over a bit lately, but that’s only due to the oddsmakers setting relatively low projected totals. Tonight’s number is at 226.5 points, with the Sixers playing only the 23rd fastest pace in the league, I think there’s a really good chance they opt to slow things down here, so backing the under is my advice for this game.
