The Brooklyn Nets (0-1) travel to the “City of Brotherly Love” Friday for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off with the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Below, we look at the Nets vs. 76ers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions, and bets.
Brooklyn lost in the NBA’s season opener 127-104 Thursday at the Milwaukee Bucks as 1.5-point road underdogs. The Nets got boat raced despite outshooting the Bucks 53.1-37.8 percent from three-point land and outscoring them 22-2 in points off of turnovers.
Philly rolled a Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans 117-97 Wednesday as 3.5-point road favorites. The Sixers outshot the Pelicans from everywhere on the floor and had four players score at least 20 points.
The 76ers won two of three regular-season meetings with the Nets last year but only covered the spread once and Kevin Durant didn’t play in any of those games.
Nets at 76ers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:30 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Nets -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | 76ers +122 (bet $100 to win $122)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nets -3.5 (-107) | 76ers +3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 225.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Nets at 76ers key injuries
Nets
- PG Kyrie Irving (personal) out
76ers
- C Joel Embiid (knee) questionable
- G Shake Milton (ankle) out
- PG Ben Simmons (personal) out
Nets at 76ers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
76ers 119, Nets 113
Money line
Slight “LEAN” to the 76ERS (+122) because there’s more value in Philly plus the points than the money line.
However, Joel Embiid dominated Brooklyn last season and the Nets didn’t bring in any defensive bigs this offseason. Embiid averaged 30.7 points per game on .469/.400/.867 shooting with 11.7 rebounds per game in the three Nets-76ers games last year.
If Embiid has similar success Friday, and he should, then Philly’s three-point specialists should have some wide-open looks. Also, it feels like the Sixers are more in sync than the Nets.
Both teams are dealing with off-the-court issues but I get the sense that Philly is rallying in spite of the Simmons drama whereas Brooklyn is still trying to sort itself out without Kyrie.
Against the spread
BET 1 unit on the 76ers +3.5 (-115) based on the analysis above and because Philly has performed well in this spot over recent seasons.
For example, the Sixers are 6-0-1 ATS with a plus-8.1-point spread differential as a home underdog since the beginning of 2019. Also, Philly has the best home ATS record in the Association over that span.
Furthermore, Philly is one of the rowdiest sports cities in America and I’m expecting the Sixers fans to take out their frustration with Ben Simmons on the Nets Friday night.
Embiid will feed off the crowd and Philly’s home-court advantage will help the 76ers +3.5 (-115) cash.
Over/Under
PASS with a slight “lean” to the Over 225.5 (-110) because both teams have All-NBA-caliber talent and role players that can knock down open jumpers.
That said, we’re seeing heavy “reverse line movement” in the betting markets. According to Pregame.com, most of the action is on the Over but the total has been lowered from the 229.5-point opener to the current number.
I don’t have to figure out why sportsbooks are making the more popular side cheaper. Instead, I can just PASS ON THE TOTAL.
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional NBA sports coverage:
HoopsHype | Celtics Wire | LeBron Wire | Lonzo Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]