We're back with our continued betting coverage of Tuesday's NBA slate as we take a look at this next cross-conference matchup. The San Antonio Spurs (43-17) will visit the Philadelphia 76ers (33-27) for their first meeting of the season. Check our NBA odds series for the Spurs-76ers prediction and pick.
The San Antonio Spurs are currently second in the Western Conference standings, three games back of Oklahoma City following a 114-89 loss to the New York Knicks. The loss snapped the NBA's hottest win streak at 11 games as they hope to bounce back the road favorites in this matchup.
The Philadelphia 76ers are sixth in the Eastern Conference, falling to the Boston Celtics 114-98 in their latest outing. That loss snapped a three-game winning streak of their own, hoping to avoid another losing skid and get back to the win column in this one.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Spurs vs. 76ers Odds
San Antonio Spurs: -6.5 (-115)
Philadelphia 76ers: +6.5 (-105)
Over: 231.5 (-110)
Under: 231.5 (-110)
Spurs vs. 76ers Key Injuries
San Antonio: Mason Plumlee (recondition – OUT)
Philadelphia: Johni Broome (knee – OUT) / Joel Embiid (oblique – OUT) / Paul George (suspension – OUT)
Spurs vs. 76ers Betting Trends
- The Philadelphia 76ers are 16-15 at home. The San Antonio Spurs are 22-12 on the road.
- The Spurs have gone 32-11 as betting favorites. The 76ers are 9-18 when listed as underdogs.
- The 76ers are 33-27 ATS overall, 14-17 ATS at home. The Spurs are 34-27 ATS overall, 18-16 ATS on the road.
- The 76ers are 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Spurs.
- The Spurs are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
- The total has gone OVER in four of Philadelphia's last five games.
- The total has gone UNDER in four of San Antonio's last six games.
Keys to Spurs vs. 76ers Matchup
The Spurs and 76ers will be meeting for the first time as Philadelphia heads into this contest without Joel Embiid. They've posted a lackluster 12-15 without Embiid in the lineup this season, facing arguably the NBA's hottest team as the Spurs just broke their 11-game winning streak. During that stretch, the Spurs have been averaging 121.8 PPG and beating solid opponents like the Pistons, Suns, Lakers, Thunder, and Magic. Without Embiid in the lineup, it comes as no surprise to see the Spurs favored in this matchup.
The Spurs have been most impressive on the defensive side of the ball this season, allowing the fourth-lowest FG% from opponents at 45.2%, thanks in large part due to the active movement from Victor Wembanyama around the paint. With Embiid out of the game, look for Wembanyama to operate the defense from the paint with confidence as his teammates will feed off his energy as always.
This doesn't discount the fact that Tyrese Maxey has been playing at a very high level, averaging 31.8 PPG over his last five starts. Continuing to garner MVP consideration, Maxey will need players like VJ Edgecombe and Dominick Barlow to seriously step up without Embiid. Edgecombe has been a three-point shooting spark plug all season and we've seen Barlow have his dominant performances inside the paint.
Still, the Spurs have been playing some of their best basketball of the season and it'll be interesting to see how much more they'll improve throughout the rest of this regular season. Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox are putting together a great defensive tandem along the perimeters, so expect this to be solid resistance to the impressive guard play from the 76ers.
Spurs vs. 76ers Prediction and Pick
This should be a fun first meeting between these two teams, but it's unfortunate to see Joel Embiid missing this matchup against the next great big man in Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs are looking to continue their momentum from a recent 11-game winning streak while the 76ers are looking for more continuity to their results.
The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten the better of the Spurs during these recent meetings, but both teams have split their recent series at 5-5 ATS. The Spurs have boasted the better defense and they'll arguably have the best two-way player on the floor in Victor Wembanyama. Expect the Spurs to take control of this game from a defensive perspective, running down the floor trying to turn it into points on the other end.
For our final prediction, we'll roll with the San Antonio Spurs to cover the spread on the road as the 76ers should struggle against the length of Wembanyama without Embiid in the paint. The 76ers will have to be carried by a big offensive game from Maxey, so we'll side with the total over as both teams should find their rhythm scoring the ball.
Final Spurs-76ers Prediction & Pick: San Antonio Spurs -6.5 (-115); OVER 231.5 (-110)
