Brooklyn vs Philadelphia Preview, Odds & Betting Pick

The Philadelphia 76ers (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against the Brooklyn Nets (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS). The 76ers will try to beat the Nets as home underdogs this Friday night in Philadelphia.

Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers

Date/Time: October 22, 7:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: Wells Fargo Center
TV Coverage: ESPN
Sportsbook Odds: Nets -1.5 | O/U 230.5 points (Line History)
Nets vs 76ers Matchup Report

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Nets opened as 1.5-point road favorites in this matchup and have since been bet up to Brooklyn -3. Heavy action on the UNDER has moved the total down from its opener at 230.5 points to its current number at 226 points. The UNDER is 7-2 in Brooklyn’s last nine games.

Brooklyn News & Notes

Kevin Durant scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds and James Harden scored 20 points with eight rebounds and eight assists against the Milwaukee Bucks last Tuesday night, but it wasn’t enough in a 127-104 loss on the road. Patty Mills also had a great game in his Nets debut with 21 points of of the bench after going a perfect 7-for-7 from three-point range.

Mills obviously won’t always shoot that lights out for the Nets, but his signing in free agency was a widely respected one as he should be able to help the team with some depth scoring. The rest of the bench went a combined 0-for-9 from the floor in the loss to the defending champions.

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Philadelphia News & Notes

The 76ers were able to play through the distraction of all of the drama around Ben Simmons that is swirling around the team with a 117-97 win over the New Orleans Pelicans as 3.5-point road favorites. Joel Embiid scored 22 points in only 26 minutes of play on Wednesday and was one of four 76ers to score 20 or more points in the game. Embiid is questionable for Friday’s game with right knee soreness.

The latest news on Simmons reported on Friday morning is that the disgruntled point guard has declared that he is mentally not ready to play. Philadephia has a tough decision on what to do with Simmons; the front office feels that he is too talented to trade away without getting a great return. But the longer he stays on the roster without contributing, the bigger the distraction he’s going to be for the rest of the team.

Why Brooklyn Will Cover

Brooklyn got a tough matchup to open the season against the defending champion Bucks, especially without Kyrie Irving. The 76ers are another tough draw, but a much more manageable one with Embiid at less than 100% with his knee and with all of the Simmons drama still unsettled. A bounce-back win in this spot would not be surprising.

Why Philadelphia Will Cover

Embiid has played through pain throughout most of his career. If he is able to do so again this Friday night, the 76ers will have home-court advantage and depth on their side against the Nets. Philadelphia has won each of its last six home games against Brooklyn and should be competitive in this one.