Hawks vs 76ers Betting Odds: Philly Covers at Home
Sixers, Hawks Enter Monday’s Game on Back-to-Backs
The Atlanta Hawks travel to Philadelphia on Monday night to take on the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Both teams played on Sunday so they come into this contest with the same lack of rest. The Hawks lost to the Miami Heat 106-98 at home and have now dropped three of their last five NBA games.
The Sixers beat the Orlando Magic on the road 133-103. That was their second-straight game against the Magic and they’ve now won three of their last five games. The NBA injury report continues to be lengthy for Philadelphia with Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey remaining sidelined with injuries. The Hawks vs 76ers betting odds have the Sixers listed at one-point underdogs at home while they sit at -105 on the Moneyline. The total for this game opened at 218.5 and has moved up a few points to 221.
Game Information
Atlanta Hawks (11-9) at Philadelphia 76ers (11-9)
Date, time (TV):
Location: Wells Fargo Center
Can Hawks Find Defense?
We start our Hawks vs 76ers betting odds preview by taking a look at Atlanta’s play recently. The Hawks haven’t been great on the defensive end of the floor this season, but they’ve been especially bad as of late. Despite only giving up 108 points to the Miami Heat on Sunday, they gave up 128 points in their previous outing against the Houston Rockets.
They’re allowing teams to score an average of 114.7 points per game and rank in the middle of the league in defensive rating over the last five games. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they also play worse on the defensive end when on the road where they’re giving up 117 points per game.
This is likely why the total for this game has moved up from 218.5 to 221. With the way the Hawks play defense on the road, coupled with the fact that both teams are on a back-to-back, we expect the pace of this game to tick up being the quality of play on the defensive side might take a hit with both teams having tired legs.
Sharps Pounding the Over
The Sixers also play at a faster pace without Joel Embiid on the floor. Philadelphia ranks 21st in the NBA standings in pace over their last five games, which might not seem very fast, but it’s up six or seven spots from their season average with Embiid on the floor. That will also lead to more transition play and therefore more possessions and more points.
Sixers Defense Can Win This Game
However, Philadelphia has been one of the best defensive teams this season, only giving up 106.2 points to opposing teams. They allowed the Magic to score just 99 points in Sunday’s contest, and while we don’t expect that to be the case against Atlanta’s offense, we think the Sixers defense will give them the edge when it comes to covering as one-point underdogs.
Philly has been great on the offensive glass, tallying 27 offensive rebounds in their last three games
Rebounding will also be especially important for Philadelphia if they want to win this game and cover the Hawks vs Sixers betting odds without Embiid in the frontcourt. Over the last three games, Philly has been great on the offensive glass, tallying 27 offensive rebounds in their last three games.
They should be able to win this battle again on Monday against the Hawks because while both teams are coming into this game on equal rest, Atlanta’s starters played significantly more minutes than Philadelphia’s starters. That will likely lead to fatigue earlier for the Hawks, which will show up in the form of lack of rebounding and careless turnovers.
With the Hawks vs Sixers betting odds is listing Philadelphia as a slight underdog in their return home for the first time in three games, we like the Sixers to cover the spread and win outright at Wells Fargo Center.
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