76ers Have Been UNDER Machines After a Loss

There’s cause for concern in Philly after the top-seeded 76ers (55-26 SU, 43-34-4 ATS) blew an 18-point lead in Game 4, when Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons combined to score one field goal in the second half. Philadelphia opened as a 6.5-point favorite to bounce back and take a 3-2 series lead over Atlanta (47-34, 45-35-1).

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Sixers were 6.5-point favorites the last time they hosted a game in this series, and that’s where oddsmakers opened the line for Game 5. The total of 224.5 is a couple of points lower than what it closed at on Monday, when the teams went UNDER by 23.5 points.

Atlanta News & Notes

Despite wearing tape on his sore shoulder throughout Monday’s game and getting heat treatment on it while he was on the bench, Trae Young said the injury didn’t bother him in the Hawks’ Game 4 victory. Young’s shooting numbers suggested differently, however, as the young guard missed nine of his first 12 shots from the field and finished 8-for-26 on the night.

Fortunately for the Hawks, Young found another way to make an impact — setting up his teammates. Young became the youngest player in NBA history to record 18 assists in a playoff game, increasing his postseason average to 10.7 dimes per contest.

Betting Young to go OVER his assists total could be a solid prop wager again tonight if Philadelphia continues trying to hedge and trap him. “They were just forcing me to really pretty much give up the ball,” Young told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Not only are Young’s assist numbers up in the postseason, he’s also averaging one less turnover per game than he did in the regular season. Atlanta turned the ball over just four times as a team in Game 4, helping them overcome a 36.6 percent shooting night from the field as the Hawks went UNDER the total for the ninth time in their last 12.

Philadelphia News & Notes

For a guy who fell one assist short of a triple-double, Simmons was drawing plenty of criticism following Monday’s loss. The three-time all-star guard was passive offensively in the entire second half, with the completion of an alley-oop accounting for his only field-goal attempt in the final 24 minutes. “Yeah, I definitely should have been aggressive and attacked more,” Simmons told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Simmons’ quiet second half was a factor in the 76ers blowing an 18-point advantage, but Embiid’s partially torn meniscus in his right knee might be a bigger reason. Philly’s superstar center missed all 12 of his field-goal attempts in the final two frames, including a potential go-ahead layup with 8.8 seconds left, to finish the game 4-for-21 from the field. Embiid told reporters afterward that he had difficulty jumping throughout the contest, although he still managed to pull down 21 rebounds.

Although all five starters cracked double digits in scoring and five other players contributed at least one field goal, coach Doc Rivers ripped his squad for playing too much “hero basketball” and getting outworked. It’ll be interesting to see how the Sixers come out in Game 5, especially at home where they’re 11-1 SU and 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 outings.

Betting Pick: UNDER 223.5

Both teams’ top scorers are hampered by injuries and Philadelphia tends to tighten its defense off a poor performance, going UNDER in 16 of its last 21 following a SU loss.