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

Prediction published on 14/04/2023, 22:19  by Joseph King | Modified on 14/04/2023 at 23:19 in NBA Predictions

An afternoon tipoff on Saturday sees the Philadelphia 76ers locking horns with the Brooklyn Nets for game one of the Eastern Conference playoffs first round. The star power of the 76ers has the bookmakers listing them as significant favorites to advance to the next round and face the winner of the Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks series. However, Brooklyn will look to flip the script with a roster that was reshaped at the trade deadline and boasts excellent depth, albeit one lacking a real star. Philadelphia won 54 games in the regular season, earning them the #3 seed, while Brooklyn’s 45 wins secured them the #6 seed. 

The Sixers will consider themselves serious contenders to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time since 1983 in large part due to the MVP-level play of star center Joel Embiid. The 29-year-old leads the league in scoring at 33.1 points per game and will be near impossible for the Nets to stop in this series. Partnered by point guard James Harden, who was a member of the Brooklyn Nets a little over one year ago, and the Sixers have one of the most threatening inside-outside combinations in the entire NBA. Philadelphia took advantage of home court in the regular season and racked up a 71% winning percentage at the Wells Fargo Center. These two teams actually faced off in the final game of the regular season with 76ers earning a 134-105 win, although both sides rested the majority of their starters. 

The bookmakers are listing the Nets at odds of around 7.00 to advance to the next round, making them one of the biggest underdogs of all the first round matchups. This team received a massive makeover this season as the organization decided to part with the superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, just one year after dealing James Harden to their opponents today. The result is a competitive, balanced team with a lot of really solid pieces. However, without that real “go-to” player down the stretch that can take over a ballgame, there are doubts as to the ceiling of this team. The Nets have turned into something of a free-firing three-point shooting team since the restructuring. Don’t be surprised to see a few of these games comfortably go over the posted points total if they can pick up a shooting rhythm.