76ers vs Nets Preview: Philadelphia Looking to Sweep
Sixers 3-0 ATS This Series & NBA-Best 51-34 Overall
The sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets are on the verge of getting swept following a 102-97 loss to the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday in New York.
Philadelphia opened as a 6-point favorite in Game 4 and -245 on the moneyline, with Brooklyn priced at +205. The over/under is set at 208.
With Philadelphia looking to close out its Eastern Conference first-round series, let’s dive into our 76ers vs Nets preview for Saturday’s Game 4 at Barclays Center (1 p.m. ET, TNT).
Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets
Day/Time: Location: Barclays Center
Stream: TNT
Embiid’s Supporting Cast Stepping Up
Game 3 was more of the same for the Nets, who contained six-time All-Star Joel Embiid but watched other’s step up and carry Philadelphia to victory. Embiid was held to 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and battled foul trouble most of the night.
Embiid is averaging 20 points this series, 13.1 under his NBA-leading season average, and has committed 15 turnovers. The 14 points were his fewest since a 12-point effort against the Chicago Bulls on March 22, in which the 7-foot center left early because of calf tightness.
Embiid also picked up a flagrant foul for kicking Nets center Nic Claxton in the groin area, though he was not ejected.
While Embiid is understandably the Most Valuable Player favorite, Philadelphia clearly doesn’t need him at his best to beat Brooklyn. The disparity in talent between the teams is obvious. The Nets simply don’t have the star power to compete with the upper echelon of the NBA since trading away Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. On top of that, they lost Ben Simmons to a season-ending back injury.
Tyrese Maxey paced the Philadelphia 76ers again with 25 points on the heels of his 33-point outburst. James Harden scored 21, though he was ejected late in the third quarter for hitting Nets forward Royce O’Neale in the midsection and could face further discipline.
Mikal Bridges contributed 26 points and is averaging 25.7 for the series. Besides Spencer Dinwiddie, however, Bridges simply doesn’t have the help he needs to elevate Brooklyn further up the NBA team standings and past Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Closing in on Sweep
The Nets are facing a steep, maybe insurmountable, hill. Chew on this fact in our 76ers vs Nets preview: in the NBA’s 75-year history, 146 teams have fallen behind 3-0 in a seven-game series. Just 14 of those teams came back to win two games while three successfully forced a decisive Game 7. None, however, ended up winning the series.
How does this affect Philadelphia’s future odds? Not much, really. Philadelphia remains +450 to win the East, behind Boston (+135) and Milwaukee (+145) but well in front of the next team on the board, Cleveland (+2000). Meanwhile, at +850, the Sixers share the fourth-best NBA title odds with Denver.
Even if Brooklyn is able to salvage Game 4 at home and extend the series, it shouldn’t alter Philadelphia’s overall outlook. At this point, a series win seems inevitable. Let’s face it, the Nets are overmatched.
Handicapping Game 4
Philadelphia cleared the Game 3 spread (-4.5) by the slimmest of margins, with De’Anthony Melton converting a steal into a dunk with 5.1 seconds remaining. Dorian Finney-Smith then missed a 3-pointer on the other end, as the 76ers closed out a five-point win.
The 76ers are now 3-0 ATS this series and an NBA-best 51-34 on the season. Conversely, Brooklyn is 42-42-1 ATS.
The 6-point spread for Game 4 is the second-shortest line this series, behind Game 3. Notably, Philadelphia is just 17-17 ATS when favored by 4.5 points or more.
The over/under of 208 is a smidge behind the projected total from Thursday (208.5), which the teams obviously did not hit.
For a 76ers vs Nets preview, NBA spreads, betting news, analysis, and more, visit pointspreads.com.
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