The first game of the ESPN NBA doubleheader on Wednesday is a matchup of All-Star big men as San Antonio and LaMarcus Aldridge make their only visit of the season to Philadelphia and Joel Embiid. The Sixers are usually dynamite at home and will be Mybookie Sportsbook favorites. The line opened at TBA because of a couple of key Sixers injuries, so be sure to check back for the latest NBA odds.
Spurs vs Sixers NBA Week 15 Odds & Prediction
“Isn’t that what life’s all about? You get an opportunity, and you hope to deliver. He did deliver.”
Coach and @BenSimmons25 talk about @TheCoreyBrewer. #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/PIitIqZegF — Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) 22 de enero de 2019
- When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Wells Fargo Center
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Radio: TuneIn
- NBA Odds: 76ers -3.5 (-110)
Season Series
Spurs lead 1-0 thanks to a 123-96 victory on Dec. 17. San Antonio shot 56 percent from the floor, 39 percent from behind the arc and 94 percent from the charity stripe. Rudy Gay led the Spurs with 21 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. LaMarcus Aldridge recorded a double-double of 20 points and 10 boards.
DeMar DeRozan added 20 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Philadelphia had six players score in double figures, with Ben Simmons and JJ Redick leading the way with 16 points apiece. Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 boards. The Spurs outscored the 76ers 31-17 in the second quarter as they began to pull away, leading by as many as 29 in the game.
Why Bet on San Antonio?
The San Antonio Spurs had a two-game winning streak snapped in a 103-95 home loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Tobias Harris had 27 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, and the Clippers snapped a five-game losing streak. The Clippers led for all but 14 seconds in handing the Spurs their second straight loss at home.
Los Angeles forced the league-leader in fewest turnovers into coughing up the ball 18 times, converting those into 20 points at the other end. The season series finished 2-2.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 30 points in a losing effort on Sunday, making 13-of-21 shots with 14 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. DeMar DeRozan (ankle) was back in action on Sunday, but he shot just 4-of-16 from the field to score eight points. DeRozan only missed one game but perhaps he needed another day to rest up. His jumpers were falling short and he didn’t get the free-throw line for the first time all season tonight. He hasn’t scored 20 points in six straight games.
Davis Bertans scored six points on a pair of 3-pointers vs. the Clippers, with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 22 minutes. The Spurs continue to be strange as a 3-point shooting team — they lead the NBA in efficiency at 40.4% from deep but attempt a league-low 24.4 triples per game. That hasn’t prevented Bertans from shooting a league-high 48.6% from deep, hitting 2.0 per game. Bertans (personal) has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. the Sixers, though. Dante Cunningham will soak up extra minutes off the bench.
The Silver and Black are currently shooting at a .404 (471-1,165) clip from behind the arc this season, which ranks first in the NBA. The Spurs have finished a season shooting over 40 percent from the 3-point line just once in team history (40.7 percent in 2000-01).
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 111.44
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.91
- Three-Point Percentage: 40.43
- Free Throw Percentage: 81.50
- Total Rebounds: 44.35
Defense
- Total Score: 109.21
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.08
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.65
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.91
- Total Rebounds: 43.94
Why Bet on Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia 76ers crushed Houston 121-93 on Monday even with Jimmy Butler sitting out. The 76ers broke the game open in a dominant third quarter as they outscored Houston 29-13 to take a 94-63 advantage into the fourth. Ben Simmons stole James Harden’s pass, made a layup and finished a three-point play after being fouled by Harden to make it 73-52. The lead kept growing, getting as large as 31.
Joel Embiid (back) piled up 32 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals, making 9-of-16 FGs and 14-of-17 FTs in an easy win vs. Houston. Embiid wasn’t officially announced as a starter until minutes before tip-off. It helped that he was playing a Houston team without Clint Capela (thumb).
Wilson Chandler grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds on Monday, adding nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in 27 minutes. Corey Brewer started for Butler (mild wrist sprain) on Monday, picking up 11 points, three rebounds, two steals, two blocks and one assist in 33 minutes. Brewer was the primary defender vs. James Harden.
Butler was at the practice facility on Tuesday and went through most of the practice, so he seems likely to play here. However, Ben Simmons (illness) did not practice on Tuesday and is questionable for Wednesday’s game. Check on Simmons’ status following Wednesday’s shootaround, but if he is forced to the sidelines, T.J. McConnell could be looking at a start and there would be more minutes available for Landry Shamet.
The 76ers have produced 18 games this season in which their opponent has recorded 20-or-fewer assists. The 18 such occurrences are tied for the second-most in the league behind Utah (28). Philadelphia opponents are averaging the third-fewest assists per game in the league at 22.4.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 115.56
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.33
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.89
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.64
- Total Rebounds: 47.69
Defense
- Total Score: 111.77
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.78
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.42
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.81
- Total Rebounds: 43.15
Spurs vs Sixers NBA Week 15 Betting Trends
- Under is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings
- San Antonio is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
- San Antonio is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Antonio’s last 17 games on the road
- Philadelphia is 14-5 ATS in its last 19 games when playing at home against San Antonio
- Philadelphia is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Antonio
- The total has gone OVER in 16 of Philadelphia’s last 23 games when playing at home against San Antonio
Expert NBA Betting Prediction for Spurs vs Sixers
The line will wait on Simmons and Butler. Still, take Philly if one plays but Spurs if neither.
