Brooklyn Nets (45-37) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)
April 15, 2023 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Philadelphia 76ers -8.5; Over/Under: +216.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers meet Saturday in Game 1 of the NBA East First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Brooklyn Nets are averaging 113.4 points on 48.7 percent shooting and allowing 112.5 points on 46.3 percent shooting. Mikel Bridges is averaging 26.1 points and 2.7 assists, while Cameron Johnson is averaging 16.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie is the third double-digit scorer and Nic Claxton is grabbing 9.2 rebounds. The Brooklyn Nets are shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free throw line. The Brooklyn Nets are allowing 36.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 40.5 rebounds per game.
The Philadelphia 76ers are averaging 115.2 points on 48.7 percent shooting and allowing 110.9 points on 47.3 percent shooting. Joel Embiid is averaging 33.1 points and 4.2 assists, while James Harden is averaging 21 points and 10.7 assists. Tyrese Maxey is the third double-digit scorer and Tobias Harris is grabbing 5.7 rebounds. The Philadelphia 76ers are shooting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc and 83.5 percent from the free throw line. The Philadelphia 76ers are allowing 34.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 40.9 rebounds per game.
The Nets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games and 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games. The 76ers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 Saturday games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games. The over is 5-2 in Nets last 7 games playing on 3 or more days rest. The under is 7-3 in 76ers last 10 home games. The Nets are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia 76ers are the better team and should be favored at home, but these are also two teams with a lot of players on their injury report, and this is a lot of points. Almost disrespectful toward a scrappy Brooklyn Nets side that still has respectable players on their revamped roster. The Nets don’t go down easily, and they lose on the road by an average of just 1.3 points. The Nets are also 6-2 ATS when underdogs of 7.5 or more points. Give me the free buckets with the Nets.
