Pick against the spread, best player prop for Rockets vs. Sixers on Wednesday

In the first game on ESPN Wednesday night, we have the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Sixers are coming into primetime match on a three-game losing streak, while the Rockets have lost six-straight games. Can either of these teams snap their respective losing streak? And will the Sixers have Joel Embiid back in the lineup after missing Monday night’s game? We’ll go over some ideal picks on DraftKings Sportsbook centered around the game here.

Rockets vs. Sixers, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Pick ATS: Sixers -11

The line for Wednesday night’s game is currently set at 11 points, with the Sixers favored at home. The Sixers are coming off of mini four-game west coast road trip, where they went an underwhelming 1-3. On Monday night, they lost 134-123 to the Utah Jazz, despite not having Embiid, who was out with a back injury.

Without Embiid in the lineup, the Sixers leaned on Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris to carry the offensive workload. Simmons scored a career-high 42 points to go along with 12 assists and nine rebounds, while Harris added 36 points and 10 rebounds. The All-star point guard is averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 56.2 percent from the field this season.

The Sixers have been one of the best teams at home in the association with a record of 11-2. They also have a record of 9-4 against the spread at the Wells Fargo Center, but they are 2-4 ATS in their last six games. The last time the Sixers were double-digit favorites, they lost to the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers (-10) 121-105 earlier this month.

As for the Rockets, they are 6-10 away from Houston and have a record of 3-7 in their last 10 games. Houston is dealing with a litany of injuries coming into this game. Christian Wood is still listed as out with an ankle injury.

However, P.J. Tucker (quad) is listed as questionable, Eric Gordon (groin) is listed as probable, and Victor Oladipo (foot) is listed as doubtful. If Houston can get either Gordon or Oladipo back it would help out John Wall in the backcourt. The Rockets are 0-6 against the spread in their last six games and 1-5 against the spread in their last six road games.

Player Prop: Joel Embiid O29.5 points (-110)

With the way that Ben Simmons has been playing recently, it would be the easy choice to take him over 15.5 points for tonight’s game. But that point total is currently juiced at -121 and could possibly go up, depending on if Embiid plays.

Embiid is listed as probable after missing Monday night’s game with a back injury. However, if he does end up playing, then I like his points prop. This season, Embiid is averaging 29.6 points per game and playing like one of the best players in the NBA. The MVP candidate has gone over this mark in 11 out of 22 games played. In the Sixers’ last five games, the three-time All-star is recording an astronomical 33 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

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