Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Dec. 30, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA coverage will resume on Thursday night with a heavyweight Eastern Conference bout between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets. Coverage begins from the Barclays Center at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

Score Prediction

Sixers 114, Nets 111

Best Bets

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Predictions

After earning the top seed in the East with a record of 49-23 SU last year, Philadelphia kept that same ball rolling with an excellent start to this season, as the Sixers opened with an impressive 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS run – despite getting tagged as favorites in just six of those affairs.

The extended absence of Ben Simmons appears to be finally catching up with Philadelphia though, considering the Sixers are just 10-14 SU and 7-16-1 ATS across the last 24 games – with six of those losses coming in matchups they were favored in.

On the other hand, Brooklyn stumbled out a surprisingly slow start to the new season, as the Nets opened with a lackluster 2-3 SU and ATS skid– despite being favored in all but one of those affairs.

The Nets have played much better since their opening stretch, yet never make winning look easy, considering Brooklyn enters Thursday riding a lopsided 20-6 SU and 12-15 ATS stretch, which ranks them 4th in the league SU with an overall record of 23-9 – and 20th ATS with a record of 14-17-1.

I’ll take the over here, as despite Philadelphia ranking 22nd in scoring at 106 PPG, the Sixers have tallied 114+ PTS in back-to-back contests – which is typically enough to keep things competitive against a Nets’ squad averaging 119 PPG across the last seven games.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Odds

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Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Resources

• Matchup: Atlantic
• Date: Thursday, December 30, 2021
• Venue: Barclays Center
• Location: Brooklyn, New York
• TV-Time: NBATV - 7:00 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Philadelphia 76ers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 18-16
• ATS: 14-19-1
• O/U: 13-19-2

After getting bounced by the Hawks in the second round of last year’s playoffs, the house immediately began to collapse for Philadelphia, as everybody within the organization walls began pointing fingers in various directions – ultimately resulting in Simmons catching most of the blame for their shortcomings, and the three-time All-Star demanding a trade.

Philadelphia clearly has issues larger than Simmons though, considering the Sixers currently tread at sixth place in the East with a record of 18-16 SU without him – which is quite a drop-off compared to last year’s squad that finished 49-23 SU.

Brooklyn Nets Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 23-9
• ATS: 15-17
• O/U: 15-17

After stumbling out to a surprisingly poor start to the season, Brooklyn quickly settled into a rhythm during the early stages of November, as the Nets now lead the Eastern Conference pack with a sturdy record of 23-9 SU – yet still rank near the bottom of the barrel ATS at 15-17.

Brooklyn’s successful run was seemingly jeopardized around Christmas time though, as 13 different Nets’ players cycled through the injury report for various health reasons during the holidays – but the Nets still prevailed with back-to-back victories at Staples Center over the Lakers and Clippers.

The Sixers are 1-4 ATS in their last five matchups against Brooklyn. (AP)

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Head-to-Head

The Nets are currently 2-0 SU and ATS against Philadelphia this season, with the first matchup staying under the total at a score of 114-109 (U 224) – while the second went over with a score of 114-105 (O 217).

Key Players to Watch

• PHI: Joel Embiid - C (26 PPG, 10.9 REB, 4.1 AST, 1.4 BLK)
• PHI: Tobias Harris - SF (18.8 PPG, 7.8 REB, 3.7 AST)
• BKN: Kevin Durant - SF (29.7 PPG, 7.9 REB, 5.7 AST)
• BKN: James Harden - SG (22 PPG, 8 REB, 9.8 AST)

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Conclusion

After posting back-to-back road victories over the Lakers and Clippers, the Nets enter Thursday’s contest as moderate home favorites over the visiting Sixers – marking just the second time Philadelphia has been an underdog across the last eight games.

I’ll take the over here, as Brooklyn and Philadelphia have both cranked up the pace recently, with the Nets averaging 116.8 PPG across their last five games, and the Sixers averaging 115.5 – seemingly setting the stage for an exciting shootout between divisional foes on Thursday night.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Trends

• The Sixers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games.
• The Nets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
• The Sixers are 1-4 ATS in their last five matchups against Brooklyn.
• The total has gone OVER in five of the last six Nets' games.

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