76ers vs. Mavericks Odds
| 76ers Odds | +1.5 |
| Mavericks Odds | -1.5 |
| Over/Under | 212.5 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NBA odds here. | |
The red-hot Philadelphia 76ers have pushed into the third spot in the Eastern Conference with five wins in six games, and have seemed allergic to losing since Christmas Day.
The Dallas Mavericks have cooled off since their insane run to began the year 2022, and enter as losers of three games of their last five.
With both teams in the top five in their respective divisions and playing solid basketball in the last month, we should be in for a treat on Friday. Let's get into how to bet this one.
Sixers Facing Injuries
It seems like the Sixers have been fully healthy for just one or two games this season, and again we have some injuries to talk about. Seth Curry is questionable for this one with back spasms, while Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton have already been ruled out with different ailments.
The absence of Curry would be a relatively big blow considering Korkmaz is already out. Winning the battle on the wings against a strong Dallas side would be difficult with just Danny Green and Matisse Thybulle.
With that said, Philly will still have Joel Embiid, who missed a win over Memphis earlier in the week but returned on Wednesday against Washington.
The big man has been special of late, averaging 33.8 points over the Sixers' last six games — of which Philly has won five.
Unsurprisingly, his offensive rating has been a team-high 114.4 among the regular rotation players. That's a big reason why Philly has ranked just outside the top 10 in scoring efficiency in their six-game run.
During that stretch, the Sixers rank seventh in defensive rating, doing their best work inside the arc. They've continued to be elite in the paint, allowing just 41.3% shooting, and they've also done an excellent job against mid-range jumpers, allowing them to fall at just a 33.3% clip.
Mavericks Looking to Bounce Back As a Whole
The Mavericks' form has escaped them. They've lost three of their last five, and as a whole, have covered the spread in just three of their last nine.
Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis remain out, and without them, the offense has slowed down to a halt. In the two games since Porzingis went down, Dallas owns just a 112.1 offensive rating, which makes it a below-average team. That's significantly worse than the torrid pace it had been working at prior to the injury.
Defense has been a struggle as well. This team is 16th in the NBA over the last two weeks with 115.6 points allowed per 100 possessions and seems to have forgotten about the renewed emphasis it had shown on that end when it went on a massive winning streak just a month ago.
Dallas is currently trying to get it done inside on offense. It's ranked in the top three in field goal attempts per game in the paint (not including the restricted area) in the last two weeks, and in the two games without Porzingis, it's ranked third with 21.3 attempts on average.
The Mavs have also hoisted up 40.5 3s per game, which is third in the NBA during that incredibly small window.
In summation, not much has really changed with this offense. They're just missing shots and now missing scorers.
76ers-Mavericks Pick
I see Philly as the favorite in this game.
It boasts incredible size inside and should be able to bully Dallas as the team tries to establish a presence on offense down low. The rebounding numbers have also dropped off for the Mavericks, which further leads me to believe the paint should be owned by the Sixers.
Philly has defended incredibly well in the paint and will force Dallas to rely on the 3.
This Mavericks team has simply been miserable on offense without Porzingis and Hardaway, and their defense is nowhere near what it was just a month ago.
Philly has been strong on both ends and has the edge here, even on the road.
Pick: 76ers ML -110
