Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 29/12/2021, 18:10  by Joseph King | Modified on 30/12/2021 at 00:10 in NBA Predictions

A battle of Eastern Conference teams sees the first place Brooklyn Nets welcome the sixth place Philadelphia 76ers to the Barclays center. The Nets have a one game lead ahead of the Bulls to sit atop the East with a record of 23 wins and nine losses. The visitors come into this game with a 18-16 record in what has been a disappointing year overall for Philadelphia. Kevin Durant, the league’s leading scorer and current MVP frontrunner, missed the last couple of games due to COVID protocols but his teammates stepped up huge in recent games. James Harden in particular was looking like old self and led the nets to back to back wins over both LA teams. KD is expected to be back for this game and will be looking to pick up where he left off, as the last game he played in was against the 76ers on December 16th - a game where Brooklyn won and Durant scored 39 points. 

The 76ers have been underwhelming this year as the absence of all-star Ben Simmons is becoming noticeable. This is the same core of players that finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference last season and had legitimate title aspirations coming into the year. Simmons’ refusal to play for the team has placed the entire burden on the shoulders of Joel Embiid, and while the superstar big man is arguably the best center in the league, they aren’t going to achieve the same success without their talented point guard. The Sixers are on a two game winning streak however, winning their last matchup against the Raptors 114-109 with Embiid going off for 36 points.