Sean Gardner/Getty Images. Pictured: Philadelphia 76ers players (from left to right): Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
NBA Odds: Wizards vs. Sixers
| Wizards Odds | +8 |
| Sixers Odds | -8 |
| Over/Under | 229.5 |
| Time | Channel | 7 p.m. ET | NBA TV |
The Washington Wizards look to even up their Eastern Conference First Round series with the Philadelphia 76ers, who pulled out a seven-point home win in Sunday’s opener.
It will be quite a tough feat for the Wizards to win a game in this series, as the issues the Sixers present them don’t exactly have an obvious solution.
In Game 1, the Wizards scored surprisingly well. They put up 118 points on 55.7% shooting from the field and Bradley Beal — 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists — was a particularly tough matchup for Doc Rivers’ Sixers squad.
Beal torched like-sized players like George Hill, but he also showed success using his surprising 6-foot-8 wingspan to beat bigger wings like defensive ace Matisse Thybulle off the dribble and finish at the basket.
Washington’s offense especially thrives when Beal commits hard to his twisting forays to the basket, and even more so when he leverages his playmaking prowess to free up others ( six assists in Game 1).
However, Beal also committed six turnovers, with Russell Westbrook having six turnovers as well, in that same game, showing the Sixers’ commitment to being bothersome on defense throughout the postseason.
Westbrook and Beal give you a real shot to win a game against any team that doesn’t have players with elite speed up-and-down the roster. Unfortunately for the Wizards, most of the Sixers’ wing-sized defenders, while not possessing elite speed, have enough quickness and versatility to at least force them into tough spots.
Per Ben Falk‘s Cleaning The Glass, Washington turned the ball over on 16% of their possessions in Game 1. This is an awful mark that ranks in the 22nd percentile among postseason teams (i.e., “very bad”).
The Wizards will be in trouble if they continue to be loose with the ball against an opportunistic Philadelphia defense.
The Sixers finished Game 2 with a +18 advantage in free-throw attempts, with MVP candidate Joel Embiid putting up 13 of the Sixers’ 33 free throw attempts himself.
Philadelphia’s “X-factor,” Tobias Harris, continues to play great ball under Rivers’ tutelage. He averaged a career-high 20.0 PPG in the 2018-19 season, while playing 55 games for Rivers with the Clippers.
Harris poured in a game-high 37 points against Washington in the series opener. The 6-foot-8 forward is fortunate the Wizards don’t have any capable wing defenders, and will continue to feast on their weak interior defense throughout this series.
Sharp bettors are expecting Harris and his teammates to keep this series moving along at a brisk pace with another comfortable win in this spot.
NBA Picks: Wizards vs. Sixers
Sharp Action
The line for Wizards vs. Sixers opened up at Philadelphia -7.5 and has since been pushed up to -8 on the number.
Since Monday morning, there have been four Action Labs Bet Signals triggered on the Sixers.
PRO Systems
Wednesday’s Wizards vs. Sixers Game 2 fits neatly into our “NBA Playoffs: First Round Faves PRO System,” which has a 60% win rate and a 17% Return On Investment since 2015.
PRO Report Pick: Sixers -8 (+100 at PointsBet)