PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (-10.5) VS. WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Today’s pick will be coming to you live from The Bubble in Orlando, Florida. Okay, now that I got my one stupid Bubble joke out of my system, you never have to worry about another one again. I spoke briefly about the Sixers in my weekly preview this week, so you may know my initial thoughts on them already, but I think they are in a good spot here today.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (SIXERS)
Despite being an underperforming team by most standards this season in both overall record (40-27), and record ATS (28-35-4), I still think this is one of the more talented teams in the NBA. They got off to a rough start in their first game in Orlando, losing by six to Indiana while letting T.J. Warren light them up for 53 points. They bounced back in their next game, squeaking a win past the San Antonio Spurs by two.
It’s been documented around the Internet that the Sixers are trying something new in the NBA 2.0, shifting Ben Simmons to the four position and letting Shake Milton do more of the ball handling. Like any adjustment, it will take time and won’t be successful instantly. You need a few tune-up games to see it play out.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Enter the Washington Wizards. The depleted Wizards have limped into Orlando with a banged-up roster that is missing its three best players. They got handled by a hot Suns team in their first game, dropped their next game by eight to the equally banged-up Nets, and then lost again by double digits to Indiana on Monday.
Seems like as prime an opportunity as there is for a team like Philly to get back on track. They enter this game as 10.5-point favorites, and I think they will be able to cover this one today. Even if Philly is still figuring things out, the Wizards have lost their first three games by an average of 10.6 points per game. They just aren’t a good team, and I think Philly will capitalize on the opportunity.
The Sixers still have an incentive to try in these next few games, unlike some of their Eastern Conference counterparts. They are currently sitting in the sixth seed in the East, 1.5 games back of Indiana for the fifth. While they likely aren’t looking at home-court advantage in the playoffs (who cares), their opponent in round one is still very much up in the air.
Look for the Sixers to come out hot this afternoon and beat the Wizards in convincing fashion.
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