Tag: Philadelphia 76ers

Knicks-76ers odds: Philly favored by double digits over New York

Previewing Wednesday’s New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis, picks and tips.

The New York Knicks (4-10) visit the Philadelphia 76ers (8-5) Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center. We analyze the Knicks-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Knicks at 76ers: Key injuries

Knicks

  • PG Kadeem Allen (knee) questionable
  • PG Elfrid Payton (hamstring) out
  • SG Reggie Bullock (neck) out

Knicks at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 118, Knicks 101

Moneyline (ML)

The Knicks are getting +500 odds as the visitors, which is nearly too tempting to turn down. New York is even coming off an impressive 123-105 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday, but it heads into Philadelphia with a 1-6 road record and is 0-3 against the Atlantic Division.

The 76ers (-714) are an unimpressive 5-5 over their last 10 games, but they’re a perfect 4-0 at Wells Fargo Center and dropped the same Cavaliers team 114-95 on the road Sunday in their last game. They’ll win this handily at full health in their return home, but there’s too much chalk on the moneyline. We’ll play the spread.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Sixers to win outright returns a profit of just $1.40.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The lopsided moneyline is reflected in the spread of -11.5 (-115) for the SIXERS. Take this bet with a high degree of confidence and expect the hosts to come away with a comfortable win by 12 or more points.

The Knicks are 7-7 against the spread and 4-3 on the road while the Sixers are just 6-6 overall and 2-2 at home. Philly outscores the opposition by an average margin of 3.1 points per game with the Knicks losing by an average of 7.1 points per outing. The hosts are expected to put forward a full lineup Wednesday after handing out rest days of late, and they’ll play their first home game in over a week.

The Knicks lost four of their last five road games by margins greater than 12 points, and they will once again in Philadelphia.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the OVER 213.5 (-105). The Knicks rank 29th in the NBA with a 4-10 record against the Over/Under and fall an average of four points shy of the projected total while the Sixers are 7-6 against projections and top them by an average of 0.2 points per game.

New York allows 108.9 points per game and Philly gives up 106.7 while scoring 109.8. This will creep just over the line as the 76ers cruise to victory and allow the Knicks to get some easy buckets in garbage time.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Esten’s NBA betting record: 32-34

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Success in the post is helping fuel the Los Angeles Lakers offense

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are posting up a lot, which is working out very well for the Los Angeles Lakers offensive attack.

The Los Angeles Lakers are having a better start than many anticipated from them, even with a home-heavy schedule hosting a lot of the teams who are expected to be at the bottom of the league by season’s end. The defense, in particular, has been the biggest headline as they currently lead the NBA in defensive rating.

But over the last few weeks as they’ve maintained that defensive excellence, the Lakers have found some more success on the offensive end. After ranking as low as No. 19 on offense earlier in the season, the Lakers are now No. 10 in offensive efficiency. And one key part of their success has been the post-game.

As I wrote in the aftermath of the opener against the Clippers, the Lakers were smart to utilize the post in that game but simply went to that well too often. They posted up nearly 25% of the time against the Clippers, but they’ve since tailed that back to posting up just 13% of the time, which is still the second-highest rate in the NBA.

According to Synergy Sports, the Lakers are the No. 2 most efficient team when scoring out of the post, including pass outs, getting 1.094 points per possession. That’s a much higher mark than they see out pick-and-rolls and isolations, speaking to their general lack of guard play.

A big part of that is the post efficiency is the scoring ability of LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing in the post but also their ability to find open shooters like Davis did against the Hawks. Only the Philadelphia 76ers post-up more often than the Lakers, but they’re nowhere near as efficient, ranking No. 11 in efficiency. The passing and shooting for the Lakers has allowed them to turn those post up plays into great shots.

The passing has been great from both Davis and LeBron, while LeBron’s efficiency in the post has been masterful. Among players who have posted up at least 20 times this season, Synergy has LeBron as the most efficient post scorer in the league (1.32 points per possession) by a wide margin ahead of Charlotte’s PJ Washington (1.167) and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (1.118).

Although the post hadn’t been much of a weapon over the past few years for the NBA’s best teams, the Lakers are leaning into their size to bring a mix of modern efficiency and throwback post play that currently has them with the best record in the league.

Report: Brett Brown to coach Australian national team in 2020 Olympics

Sixers coach Brett Brown will coach the Australian men’s basketball team in next summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown will be coaching again on the international basketball stage next summer.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Brown and the Australian men’s basketball team are finalizing an agreement to bring on Brown as coach for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Brown also coached the Boomers in the 2012 Olympic games, where he led the team to the quarterfinals in which they lost to Team USA; the Boomers would finish seventh. 

Along with his stint in 2012, Brown was also an assistant coach for Australia during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics, per a story on ESPN from Jonathan Gold. 

Brown is slated to have Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons on the roster. Simmons, an Australian native, said in a statement on Twitter this offseason that he plans on playing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Along with Simmons, Australia also boasts NBA talent such as Dante Exum, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes and Patty Mills.

With Brown having a wealth of talent available, Australia should be one of the most formidable teams in next summer’s Olympics.

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Markelle Fultz has been among the most efficient transition finishers

Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz recorded a career-high 19 points on Sunday night during a victory over the Washington Wizards.

Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz recorded a career-high 19 points on Sunday night during a victory over the Washington Wizards.

The former No. 1 overall pick connected twice from beyond the arc on just three attempts. It was just the second time in his career that he made multiple three-pointers during a regular-season NBA game.

But the most memorable moment of the evening came in the final minute of his performance. Fultz had a brilliant takeaway, intercepting a pass from Bradley Beal and then speeding up the floor for a quick slam to secure the win.

After scoring the bucket, he could hardly contain his joy and let loose on an emotional celebratory scream.

Something worth noting is Fultz has been excellent in the open court for the Magic. He is averaging 1.46 points per possession in transition, which ranks in the 93rd percentile among all players in the NBA. In fact, among those in the Eastern Conference who have had at least 20 transition finishes, only five players have more efficient.

When he has the ball in the open court, he has been at his best since joining Orlando. There are 58 players who have had at least 15 opportunities as the ballhandler in transition, as he did in the final seconds against Washington, and no one has averaged more points per possession on these looks than Fultz.

The guard also has a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in transition, showcasing some effective playmaking on these looks as well. If he can keep distributing that well, he can get into more of a rhythm with his teammates on fastbreaks.

For a player whose confidence needs as much rebuilding as his jump shot, finding things that work well for him will continue to help his development. Orlando will look for any way to reinvigorate him, as it can only help his game.

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Three takeaways from Thunder’s 127-119 OT win over Philadelphia

Against the 76ers, Terrance Ferguson scored a season-high 19, the Thunder struggled in the third quarter and OKC hit their free throws.

Oklahoma City beat the 76ers 127-119 in overtime Friday night. It was the Thunder’s first overtime game of the season and a solid win before heading out to the West Coast for a two-game set in Los Angeles against the Clippers and the Lakers.

Here are three takeaways from OKC’s win over Philadelphia:

 

Terrance Ferguson showed out

After missing Tuesday’s loss at Indiana due to personal reasons, Ferguson returned to the starting lineup against Philadelphia.

He scored a season-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including hitting on five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. Ferguson had only hit five three-pointers combined in the previous seven games.

After the game, he credited his daughter and Steven Adams for his success.

 

The Thunder’s third-quarter struggles continue

As noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City’s “trend of falling behind” in the third quarter continued once again Friday night against the 76ers.

The Thunder took a 54-59 lead into the half, only to be outscored 34-26 in the third quarter.

Their struggles continued until the 7:20 mark of the 4th quarter when OKC trailed by nine points. From there, the Thunder closed the game on a 22-13 run to end regulation tied at 107.

 

Free throw shooting helped seal the victory

The Thunder aren’t known as automatic from the free-throw line. Far from it.

But when it mattered against Philadelphia, OKC knocked them down.

Oklahoma City was 8-for-8 in overtime from the line. Danilo Gallinari hit all four of his attempts, with both Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making a pair each.

Both Gallinari (11-for-11) and Paul (12-for-12) were perfect on the night. Per the Thunder, it’s the first time in the organization’s history that two players were perfect from the free-throw line with more than ten attempts each.

As a team, the Thunder shot 85.7% from the line, connecting on 35-of-41 free throws.

Ferguson credits daughter for season-high 19 points against Philadelphia

Ferguson said it was his daughter’s first home game, calling his performance in the win over Philadelphia “one for the books”.

Terrance Ferguson scored a season-high 19 points in the Thunder’s 127-119 overtime win over Philadelphia Friday night.

His performance alone was something to be excited about, but there was one thing that made it even more special – his daughter was there to see it.

Ferguson told reporters in the locker room afterward that it was his daughter’s first home game.

“It was my daughter’s first home game, so I was excited for that,” Ferguson said. “One for the books.”

Back in the starting lineup against the 76ers, Ferguson scored 19 points and hit on seven of his nine field-goal attempts, including a 5-of-7 mark from the three-point line.

As noted by Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, prior to the win over the 76ers, Ferguson “made only five 3-pointers in his last seven games.”

According to Mussatto, Ferguson also credited his big night to Steven Adams.

“It was Steve-O as well,” he said of Thunder center Steven Adams. “Every time I caught the ball, Steve-O was like, ‘shoot it.’ I don’t have no choice but to shoot it when Steve-O tells me to.”

Ferguson missed Tuesday’s 111-85 loss to the Pacers for personal reasons as he did not travel with the Thunder to Indiana due to a custody hearing regarding his daughter.

Oklahoma City outlasts 76ers 127-119 in overtime

The Thunder outscored Philadelphia 20-12 in overtime, hitting 5-of-7 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Like many of their games so far this season, the Thunder were in it at the end.

Unlike most of those games, however, on Friday night Oklahoma City outlasted the 76ers 127-119 in overtime to get the win.

The bulk of the scoring came from the starting rotation, led by Danilo Gallinari with a team-high 28.

Three other players were in double-digits: Chris Paul with 27, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander with 24, and Terrance Ferguson, who returned to the starting lineup Friday, adding 19.

Gallinari had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but his jumper from the top of the key was off the mark. He made up for it by scoring seven of the Thunder’s 20 points in overtime.

Oklahoma City hit five of their seven shots in OT and were a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.

For the game, OKC shot 53.9% from the field and outscored the 76ers 35 to 15 at the free-throw line.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attributes humbleness to his mom’s teachings

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a quality start to his second NBA season.

In a season that’s still young, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as one of the NBA’s top young players.

Gilgeous-Alexander averages 20.1 points a game and leads the Thunder in scoring. He’s second on the team in rebounds behind Steven Adams, and he’s also one of the Thunder’s best 3-point shooters; he’s shooting 40.4% from the 3-point line.

But through all of his success, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been arrogant. According to a story from The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto, Gilgeous-Alexander attributes his humbleness to his mother, Charmaine Gilgeous.

Gilgeous was an Olympic sprinter, and she competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Here’s what Gilgeous-Alexander said about what his mom taught him:

“Growing up, with anything we did, she never let us get cocky,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his mom. “She always told us and showed us to have confidence in ourselves, but never take it overboard. Keep it as confidence.”

Gilgeous-Alexander has taken a leap so far this season. A rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to OKC in the Paul George deal.

Last season, he didn’t take nearly as many shots. Both his field goal attempts and 3-point attempts have gone up. His usage percentage is currently at 25.3%, and last season he finished with an 18.3% usage percentage.

Tied for 25th in the league for points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of three second-year players ranked in the top 25 of the league for scoring, according to NBA.com. Luka Doncic ranks fourth (28.5), and Trae Young ranks seventh (27.3).

With Gilgeous-Alexander being the Thunder’s focal point, he’s primed to continue having a quality sophomore season.

The Thunder will play the Philadelphia 76ers at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday night.

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76ers-Magic odds: Philly a road dog without Joel Embiid

Previewing Wednesday’s Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Philadelphia 76ers (7-3) begin a three-game road trip Wednesday against the Orlando Magic (3-7) at Amway Center. Tip-off is set for shortly after 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the 76ers-Magic odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

76ers at Magic: Key injuries

76ers

  • PG Trey Burke (calf) questionable
  • PF Joel Embiid (rest) out

76ers at Magic: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2:20 p.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 105, Magic 93

Moneyline (ML)

The Sixers are coming off an all-too-close 98-97 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They improved to 4-0 at home with the victory but they now hit the road at 3-3. They’ve won two games in a row after previously beating the Charlotte Hornets 114-106. Philadelphia outscores the opposition by an average of 109.7-105.3 points per game.

The Magic are stuck in 13th in the Eastern Conference following last year’s surprising playoff berth. They’re 0-4 on the road but a respectable 3-3 on home court; however, they dropped a 109-102 decision to the Indiana Pacers at home Sunday. They’ve played tight games but have been outscored by an average of 99.3-98.1.

Philadelphia may be the tired team on the second half of a back-to-back with travel, but it’s also the far deeper team. Star PF Al Horford rested Tuesday, ensuring he’ll be ready to go Wednesday night with Embiid out of the lineup. Take plus money with the 76ers at +110 for the outright win.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Sixers fetches an $11 profit with a straight-up victory.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The 76ers are 5-4 against the spread overall and 3-2 as the visitors. The Magic are 3-6 ATS overall and just 2-3-1 at home. Side with PHILADELPHIA to cover a spread of just +2.5 with -115 odds. The same $10 bet returns a profit of $8.70.

The Magic are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record. The Sixers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss and 4-0 ATS in their last four Wednesday games.

Over/Under (O/U)

The Magic are the worst Over team in the league with a record of 2-7-1 against the projected totals and they fall an average of 10.6 points shy of the projected totals. The Sixers are 5-5 against the O/U but still fall 2.4 points shy of the projection on average.

Take the UNDER 206.5 (-115) with Philadelphia coming in without rest. This is its first back-to-back situation of the year.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Esten’s NBA betting record: 30-26

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Cavaliers-76ers odds: Philaelphia big home favorite

Previewing Tuesday’s Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks

The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5) visit the Philadelphia 76ers (6-3) Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center for a 7 p.m. ET start.

We analyze the Cavaliers-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Cavaliers at 76ers: Key injuries

76ers

  • PF Al Horford (rest) out
  • PG Ben Simmons (shoulder) questionable
  • SG Shake Milton (knee) out

Cavaliers at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

76ers 115, Cavaliers 105

Moneyline (ML)

The -715 line for the home 76ERS is a bit of a concern but they are 3-0 at home in the early going despite some wild movement on the betting lines. They have even come in above the projections.

Can Cleveland cover as the underdog seems to be the question? It is unlikely the Cavaliers win outright with a +500 line. This is not impossible, but it would take a poor shooting performance by Philadelphia.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the 76ERS to win outright returns a profit of $1.40. It’s very chalky, but it’s better than trying to win with Cleveland.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The CAVALIERS +11.5 (+105) is the play here. A Cleveland cover (lose by no more than 11 points) returns a profit of $10.50.

Cleveland is 3-2 on the road ATS and 7.9 points per game on the cover while Philadelphia is 2-1 ATS at home and 5.8 points per game above projections. Cleveland has the ability to keep this game close enough.

Over/Under (O/U)

This is a bit rare, but the Over/Under of 216.5 (-106, -115) is one to pass on here. There are just better choices in some of the other NBA games tonight. Philadelphia-Cleveland is a game that could go either way and one call could make a difference. AVOID! 

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Chris’s NBA betting record: 24-16

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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