The Philadelphia 76ers have the NBA’s best record at 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS through their first eight games. The 76ers will try to extend their current five-game winning streak Thursday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.
- Date/Time: January 7, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Barclays Center
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: 76ers -3.5 | O/U 224 (Line History)
- 76ers vs Nets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Bettors were quick to take the points on the Nets as 3.5-point home underdogs, driving the line down to Philadelphia -1.5. The Sportsbook total of 224 points has also shifted two points as action on the OVER has bumped the line up to 226 points. Philadelphia is 3-1 SU and ATS in its last four road games against the Nets.
Philadelphia News & Notes
The 76ers allowed 136 points to the Washington Wizards, including 60 points to Bradley Beal, on Wednesday night. But despite the tough night on defense and Beal’s incredible performance, Philadelphia came out on top by a final score of 141-136 to move to 7-1 SU on the season and to 5-0 SU over their last five games. Joel Embiid led the way on offense with 38 points.
Since getting off to a slow start to the season on offense with only 104 points per game through their first four games, the 76ers have found their groove under new head coach Doc Rivers over their last four games, averaging 125.5 points per game.
Embiid is off to a strong start, averaging 25.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Philadelphia looks like it could be a legitimate contender this season if Embiid can stay healthy.
Brooklyn News & Notes
Kevin Durant has shown no signs of rust in his return to action this season, playing 34.1 minutes per night and averaging 28.2 points and seven rebounds per game. Kyrie Irving is also playing well, averaging 27.1 points and 6.1 assists out of the gate. But while this duo has looked sharp early in the season, the Nets opened 2020-21 with a 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS run.
Durant missed Brooklyn’s last game against the Utah Jazz after testing positive for COVID-19 and will miss at least three more in quarantine, including this matchup against the 76ers. The Nets actually played one of their best games of the season without Durant in the lineup against the Jazz, cruising to a 130-96 win as 4.5-point home underdogs.
Betting Pick: Philadelphia -1.5
This matchup between two of the Eastern Conference’s top contenders would have been a lot more fun with Durant in the mix. With him out of the lineup, it’s tough to go against the surging 76ers in this spot.
- Philadelphia is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games vs Brooklyn.
- Brooklyn is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 home games.
- The UNDER is 8-2 in Philadelphia’s last 10 games.
