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The Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons will play in an Eastern Conference matchup on Thursday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a 76ers-Pistons prediction and pick.
The 76ers and Pistons come into play Thursday in very different situations. The 76ers, while navigating the Ben Simmons saga, have remained competitive this season and look primed to sit at or near the top of the Eastern Conference if they can get Simmons back on the court. Philly is now also without Tobias Harris, who remains in COVID protocol. The Pistons meanwhile look like one of the worst teams in the NBA, and the return of Cade Cunningham, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick from injury, hasn't helped much so far. The Pistons will solidly be underdogs at home in this spot, and for good reason.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the 76ers-Pistons odds for this Thursday night matchup.
NBA Odds: 76ers-Pistons Odds
Philadelphia 76ers -5 (-110), -205 ML
Detroit Pistons +5 (-110), +172 ML
Over 208 points (-110)
Under 208 points (-110)
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Why The 76ers Can Cover The Spread
The Sixers still have Joel Embiid, who will be the best player in Detroit on Thursday by a significant margin. They can lean on Tyrese Maxey and Seth Curry to pick up the slack in the absence of Harris (in terms of scoring, at least), but they are a bit thin without two of their high-priced stars. Philadelphia should still beat Detroit without much struggle, as the Pistons are 2-5 against the spread and 1-6 outright. The 76ers have to show up Thursday night, but if they do, they should be leaving Detroit with a cover and a win. Doc Rivers should be able to get his group going and make easy work of the Pistons in this matchup, even without two of his stars.
Why The Pistons Can Cover The Spread
The 76ers being without a couple of their best players is obviously favorable for Detroit, but they will still have trouble dealing with the 76ers. It is possible that Embiid is out, however, as the 76ers are on a back-to-back and have not yet submitted their injury report. Even if Embiid is out, the 76ers are so much more well ran and experienced top-to-bottom, there's pretty much no spot in which the Pistons are a good pick to win here. If Embiid is out, the line will go down as well, so the Pistons won't be a good play here pretty much regardless.
Final 76ers-Pistons Prediction & Pick
Take the 76ers to cover, but wait until the injury report comes out later in the day. If Embiid is ruled out, the 76ers will likely only be favored by two or three points vs. the Pistons.
FINAL 76ERS-PISTONS PREDICTION & PICK: 76ers -5 (-110)
