The NBA took a night off for yesterday’s Thanksgiving festivities, but it returns with 11 games of action tonight. Helping to kick off the slate, the Philadelphia 76ers will travel to face the Brooklyn Nets. It is the final night of NBA Cup action, with seeding implications on the line across several groups, though neither of these teams finds itself in this position.
This Eastern Conference battle will feature a pair of teams coming off two-game losing streaks. It is also a bit of a war of attrition, with both sides entering with significant injuries to some key players.
Looking at the odds, the 76ers enter as 7.5-point favorites and hold -278 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nets hold +225 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 222.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Friday night matchup.
Sixers at Nets preview, prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers enter with a 9-8 record on the season. After getting out of the gates hot, going 5-2 in the first seven, they have lost seven of 11. Injuries have become an all too familiar storyline for Philadelphia. Joel Embiid will miss his ninth consecutive game due to knee complications, with him playing just six of a possible 17 games this year. Paul George is listed as questionable with an ankle sprain and has played just three total games this year. Third-overall pick V.J. Edgecombe will miss his third straight game with calf soreness, while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford will also be sidelined.
Tyrese Maxey has continued to steady the ship and be the lone reliable star on this Sixers team. The 25-year-old leads the NBA in minutes per game at 39.9 and is producing 32.2 points, 7.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc. Andre Drummond has turned back the clock a bit and done a nice job filling in during Embiid’s absence, adding 8.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest. Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain have each had their ups and downs, but are the expected offensive engines outside of Maxey.
As a team, the Sixers rank 16th in the NBA in scoring at 117.4 points per game. They are 19th in field-goal percentage, eighth in three-point percentage, 17th in rebounds per game, 20th in assists per contest and 15th in offensive rating. Defensively, opponents are scoring 118.4 points per game against them, which ranks 20th in the NBA. They are 17th in opponent field goal percentage, 11th in opponent three-point percentage, 15th in opponent rebounds allowed and 19th in defensive rating. The Sixers are 10-7 against the spread, and the over has cashed in 10 of their 17 games this year.
The Brooklyn Nets entered the season with the belief they would be one of the worst teams in the NBA and have lived up to expectations. They hold a record of 3-14, with their three victories coming against the Celtics, Wizards and Pacers. Injuries have become an issue for them, as well, with Cam Thomas sidelined due to a hamstring injury, and Michael Porter Jr. set to miss tonight’s game due to back tightness. Haywood Highsmith joins his teammates on the injured list, while Ben Saraf is questionable for the matchup with an ankle sprain.
With their two top scorers set to miss, Nic Claxton headlines the production with 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Noah Clowney is the only other player to average in double figures at 12.2 points per game. None of the five first-round picks the Nets used in the previous draft have looked as encouraging as hoped at this stage of the season. BYU product Egor Demin has flashed the most, averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Collectively, the Nets rank dead-last in the NBA in scoring at just 109.2 points per game. They are 28th in field goal percentage, 25th in three-point percentage, 25th in assists, 24th in offensive rating and dead-last in rebounds per game. Brooklyn is allowing 119.7 points per contest, which ranks 22nd in the NBA. Brooklyn is also 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 29th in three-point percentage allowed and 29th in defensive rating. The Nets are 8-8-1 against the spread so far this season, with the over/under going 8-9 in their matchups so far this year.
Sixers at Nets prediction, best bet
These teams faced off once already this season, which resulted in a 129-105 victory by the Sixers. This was amid the Sixers’ hot start, although neither Joel Embiid nor Paul George were available for that matchup, either.
Philadelphia is coming off their most disappointing game of the season, after being dismantled by the Orlando Magic in a 144-103 loss. But the Nets have shown even fewer reasons for optimism. This feels like a perfect get-right spot for a Sixers team in need of a break. Brooklyn is recording an average margin of loss of 10.5 points on the season. They have been defeated by double digits in 11 of their 14 losses this season.
Most concerning will be their struggles to score the basketball. Philadelphia is not a high-level defensive team, but Brooklyn is without Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. tonight. Both have their flaws, but are the only consistent options for creating a shot for themselves. No player on the team shoots better than 38.6% from beyond the three-point arc, and the Nets’ offense has looked clunky without a true playmaker. Center Nic Claxton leads the team with just 4.1 assists per game.
Expect the Sixers to have success pushing the pace and for Tyrese Maxey to shine as the clear best player on the floor. Maxey has proven able to lift the franchise nearly singlehandedly past inferior opponents this season. Expect this to be the same tonight. Brooklyn has been held to 100 points or fewer in four of their past eight games, and Philadelphia will be able to soar past this even with their injuries. It may not be by the 24-point margin that occurred in the first matchup, but count on the Sixers getting the victory and covering the -7.5 point spread tonight.
