The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off three-straight wins at home as they go on the road to face the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a 76ers-Spurs prediction and pick.
The Spurs have dropped back down to the 10th seed in the Western Conference after losing two consecutive games on the road against the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the 76ers are riding a three-game win streak as they sit in the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference and half of a game behind the 1st seed Brooklyn Nets.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening 76ers-Spurs odds.
NBA Odds: 76ers-Spurs Odds
Philadelphia 76ers -6 (-116)
San Antonio Spurs +6 (-104)
Over 221 Points (-110)
Under 221 Points(-110)
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: None.
Doc Rivers' team is completely healthy and they currently hold the 13th best offense rating and the 2nd best defensive rating in the entire league.
The 76ers are undisputedly being led by their most valuable player in Joel Embiid on both ends of the floor. For the season, Embiid is averaging 29.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting above 50 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from behind the three-point line.
Coach Rivers also has both Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons at his disposal and the two have been averaging 19.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and 14.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game respectively.
Aside from the 76ers' big three, there are only two other double-digit scorers who have been incredibly inconsistent for Coach Rivers. As good as the team has been on the defensive end, the 76ers will need to continue searching for a consistent offensive player off their bench.
Fortunately, they will be going up against a very empty-handed Spurs team. The key for the 76ers on Sunday will then be to run the offense completely through Embiid to get a bucket or find the open man as the Spurs do not have a center capable of stopping him.
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: Dejounte Murray (out), DeMar DeRozan (out), Jakob Poeltl (out), Derrick White (out), Trey Lyles (out)
The Spurs are coming off a tough road trip where they lost two consecutive games but most importantly are now dealing with injuries to four of their five starters but most notably, Murray and DeRozan.
DeRozan has been averaging 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Murray, on the other hand, has been putting up 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Gregg Popovich will also be missing a combined 24.0 points from Poeltl and White offensively and the great individual defense from both players.
Ultimately, the main key for the Spurs to cover the spread on Sunday will be to play with more energy than the 76ers and to try and prevent a big game from Embiid.
Final 76ers-Spurs Prediction & Pick
The Spurs and 76ers are both very solid defensive teams, but the 76ers are undisputedly a much better offensive team than the 76ers. This is especially true with four of the five starters for the Spurs out for the matchup on Sunday. That said, the 76ers should cruise to their fourth consecutive victory as the Spurs drop below .500 and are more endangered of falling out of the play-in tournament.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR 76ERS-SPURS: PHI 122, SAS 100 (PHI -6)
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