Philadelphia at Orlando
Time: 6 PM CT, NBA LP
Spread: PHI -6.5
Total: 219
Odds c/o Bovada
The Philadelphia 76ers are 9-6 but just 2-6 on the road as it travels to face the Orlando Magic at 6 PM (CT) on NBA League Pass. Philadelphia is 6.5-point favorites in the game, and Orlando is 3-5 at home this season. The over/under is set at 219 points according to NBA oddsmakers at Bovada.
PHI
Philadelphia has won three of its past four, with its most recent being a 124-114 victory over the Miami Heat. Joel Embiid turned in a masterful performance with 35 points on 8 of 15 shooting while knocking down 16 of 20 from the free throw line to go with 18 rebounds in his 36 minutes of play. The Sixers also got a big game from 2-guard J.J. Redick, who chipped in 25 points on 11 of 20 shooting. Ben Simmons added 13 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. All of this has offset the horrible play of second-year guard Markelle Fultz, who is beginning to draw the label of a “bust.” Fultz was just 2 o 8 from the field and -7 for his 25 minutes of play, and he has added little on either end of the court.
The Sixers will have the debut of Jimmy Butler tonight, who ostensibly should become Philly’s third star, along with Simmons and Embiid. As to whether or not Fultz ever makes good on his No. 1 overall draft selection, is anyone’s guess at this point. But Philly has aligned itself well with Butler joining the team. His defense and scoring will be welcome additions to the Sixers lineup, even if it did cost Philly the promising career of Dario Saric and do-it-all defender Robert Covington.
Embiid will be making another All-Star appearance this year, as the big man is averaging 28.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.40 blocks/steals per game. And Redick just seems to keep getting better with age. Simmons still is not much of a shooter, but his 7.7 assists testify to what a great playmaker he is. The Sixers change the face of their team with the addition of Butler, but it should only be getting better with a 20-plus point per game scorer on board to take some of the pressure off Embiid, and to give him another target when passing out of double teams.
ORL
Orlando is 6-8 after dropping its last outing to the Washington Wizards. The Magic rank No. 10 in team defense while holding opponents to 108.7 points per game, but the issue in Orlando has largely been scoring the basketball. The Magic average just 103.9 points per game, ranking No. 27, despite having the sixth-highest assist total of all franchises. Orlando has been riding the solid play of Nikola Vucevic, who leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game. Aaron Gordon has been inconsistent, but great at times, and he is averaging 16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Outside of the play of sixth man Terrence Ross, Orlando’s bench has struggled mightily. Ross is No. 4 on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game, and he had 22 in the loss to Washington. But he has received little help scoring, and Jonathon Simmons has been outright horrible. The Magic were not expecting massive scoring contributions from rookie Mo Bamba, who leads the team in blocks at 1.6 per game.
It is just that backup point guard Jerian Grant, second-year swingman Wesley Iwundu, and the rest of the bench (though Iwundu has been starting, he has been getting bench type minutes) are producing so little on the offensive end.
Orlando probably lacks the scoring punch to be serious threats this year, but it could sneak in the playoffs in the decimated and weak bottom half of the Eastern Conference.
