Phoenix Suns AT Philadelphia 76ers
Jan 24, 2011 at 7:00 PM EST
Opening Line: Philadelphia -3.5
Current Line: Philadelphia -4
Opening Total: 207
Current Total: 206.5
Opening Moneyline: Phi -175 / Phx +155
Current Moneyline: Phi -170 / Phx +145
Philadelphia and Phoenix are both mediocre teams. There’s really no other way to say it; Phoenix is 2 games belkow .500 and Philadelphia is 7 games below .500. Philadelphia’s .419 winning percentage is good enough for 7th in the East, but is it really good for the NBA to have teams that win well under 50% of their games competing in the playoffs? That’s a topic for an entirely different article. Philly has won 5 of their last 10 and Phoenix has won 6 of their last 10.
Some betting trends:
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games and the total has gone UNDER in 8 of their last 12. The total has gone UNDER for 4 of the past 6 on the road and they are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games against the Sixers. They are 4-2 SU in their last 6 on the road against Philadelphia and the total has gone OVER in 11 of their past 16 road games against the Sixers.
The total has gone OVER In 9 of Philadelphia’s past 13 games and it has gone OVER In 4 of their last 6 at home. Phildelphia is 5-1 SU in their last 6 at home and 5-12 ATS in their last 17 aginst Phoenix. THey are also 5-12 SU in the last 17 games between the teams. The total has gone OVER in 11 of the past 16 home games against Phoenix. They are 2-4 SU in their last 6 home games against Phoenix and 2-4 ATS in the last 6 at home against the Suns.
Key Matchups:
Steve Nash vs. Jrue Holiday
Nash is one of the oldest players in the league and Jrue Holiday was THE youngest in the league last year at age 19. But they are both very effective players and Holiday is considered to be one of the key cornerstones of the Philadelphia franchise. He’s averaging 14.5 points per game and 6.5 assists per game, as well as hauling in 4.0 rebounds per night. Nash hasn’t slowed down at all. He’s still averaging 17.0 points per game, 10.9 assists per game and 3.7 boards per night. For 10.9 assists, he only turns it over 3.6 times a game, good enough for 3:2 assist to turnover ratio. Again, like any year, he is over 50% from the floor and 90% from the free throw line. Perhaps Holiday can someday reach a level somewhere near that high, but as of right now, it is a living legend in Nash vs an inexperienced second year point guard.
Grant Hill vs. Andre Iguodala
Both Hill and Iguodala are good defenders and decent offensive players. More than that this matchup will impact the game is the fact that it will be a good one to watch, as both players are very intense and hard workers. Grant Hill is 38 and was drafted in 1994; and he’s still averaging 14.7 points per game and 5 rebounds per game. Iguodala is in his prime at 26 and averaging 14.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per night. So you see how amazing Hill’s production is, given that Iguodala is often regarded as one of the better wing players in the league.
Tonight’s game should be a pretty good one. Philadelphia is having a great year at home this year at 13-7, and Phoenix is still a potent and exciting team.
