There are seven games on Saturday's NBA schedule and our experts are betting on these specific matchups:
- Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte Hornets: 7 p.m. ET
- Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks: 8:30 p.m. ET
See the bets they’re making below.
Odds as of Saturday and via PointsBet. Get up to $275 in free bets at PointsBet today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.
Wob: 76ers at Bucks
- Spread: Bucks -9
- Over/Under: 226.5
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC
First, check out my weekly battle with PointsBet. I'm betting Ben Simmons points + assists vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo points, and they boosted the odds up to +360.
this week's @PointsBetUSA battle for Bucks vs. 76ers: Giannis PTS (-400) vs. Simmons PTS + AST (+300)
here is what u guys decided i should take in the moment. Simmons it is.
payout odds will be boosted asap.
your record is 0-1 (-1.0u) this season.https://t.co/e0vAf66VlEpic.twitter.com/pwMFIoBOd4
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 22, 2020
Anyway, for the game, it feels like we were just here … the 76ers as nine-point dogs in Milwaukee. The game played out as many have this season for Philly on the road: Three quarters of elite-level play with one disaster quarter, making it impossible to overcome.
On paper, the 76ers have everything needed to stop the Milwaukee Bucks' Assembly Line War Machine of offense: Size, length, wingspan, athleticism and a scheme that actually works.
The problem, however, is: 1) that what makes them great still hasn’t translated on the road, and 2) Simmons, Horford and Embiid still can’t play together and be an efficient offense. When you have to stagger rotations with your three most-important players, that’s a problem.
But during this stretch in which Simmons/Embiid/Horford have missed some time, I think — think — they’ve finally figured out that this offense operates at its peak when Embiid has the ball on the block. At some point, when the game slows down, Simmons isn’t going to be allowed to just run around the court like a gazelle in the Serengeti.
I cannot stress this enough: Get Embiid the damn ball. He is Godzilla. The ball is going in or he’s going to the line. Every damn time. You just have to put him in a position to do it.
I think tonight, at long last, is the night the Sixers finally realize this and may even win this outright — not just because of what’s on paper, but because they can.
The PICK: Sixers +9
Brandon Anderson: 76ers at Bucks
- Spread: Bucks -9
- Over/Under: 226.5
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC
Philadelphia at Milwaukee is the game everyone has had circled coming out of the All-Star break. These are the two towering Eastern teams everyone has had battling for a spot in the Finals all season. Of course, only one of them has played like a champion this season.
The Bucks, not the 76ers, have the league's best defense by a large margin. Milwaukee has been crushing everyone, and Philadelphia has been absolutely miserable on the road. And do you know who knows all those things? The 76ers, who just spent the entire All-Star break listening to everyone in the media telling them so.
This is just a gut-instinct pick; I'm playing the odds on the moneyline. Philadelphia is a different team when motivated, particularly Embiid, and he should be rested and ready.
Philly has to win this game only 25% of the time to pay off this line, and before the season we thought these teams would be a coin flip heads-up. A Sixers win here flips the entire narrative of their season and kicks off a very interesting second half. Giddy up.
The PICK: 76ers +330
Matt Moore: Nets at Hornets
- Spread: Nets -4
- Over/Under: 211
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Hornets are 5-4 against the spread this season when a home dog vs. a team under .500 and 7-6 ATS when a home dog vs. an Eastern Conference team. The spread is tight, but Charlotte looked good out of the break vs. Chicago while the Nets just seem to be losing steam.
Brooklyn is 7-10 ATS on the road this season without Kyrie Irving, scoring just 107 points per contest.
I have a weird attachment with the Hornets; they’re a much better watch than their record or advanced stats reflect them to be. But specifically, I’m not worried about the Nets dominating inside the way most teams do vs. Charlotte. Jarrett Allen hasn’t had a great season, and they’re still mostly perimeter-oriented even without Irving.
I like the Hornets +4 and don’t mind a play on the moneyline, either.
