Sixers vs. Spurs Betting Preview (August 3, 2020)

On Monday night, the Sixers and Spurs meet for the first time since a November 22 clash that saw the Sixers walk away victorious in Philadelphia by a score of 115-104. Let’s get into our Sixers-Spurs betting preview, including odds, boosts, and picks.

Preview

After dispatching of the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies in their first two games of the NBA restart, the Spurs are riding high and find themselves just two games behind the Grizzlies for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference at 29-36. Sure, there were plenty of pundits who believed the Spurs didn’t belong in the NBA bubble, given the fact that they entered nine games under .500, but they’ve thrived under the guidance of coach Gregg Popovich.

The opposite is true for Popovich’s former assistant coach Brett Brown and his Philadelphia 76ers.

After nearly five months of speculation ranging from whether point guard Ben Simmons’ move to power forward would lead to better spacing on the floor, to whether Simmons would build off a 1-2 performance from deep in a scrimmage against Memphis, to whether or not Al Horford would bounce back to pre-Philly form, the Sixers’ many warts were on full display in a 127-121 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Simmons attempted no shots from deep, the spacing was a mess, Shake Milton -Simmons’ replacement at point guard- had zero points and got into a verbal altercation with franchise center Joel Embiid, and Al Horford was underwhelming at best.

Sixers vs. Spurs Odds

Here’s the line for the Sixers and Spurs at DraftKings Sportsbook PA:

• Spread: Sixers -7, Spurs +7
• Moneyline: Sixers -286, Spurs +235
• Total: 227.5

Bets We Like With a Sixers Win

FiveThirtyEight gives the Sixers an 84% chance of winning with a -10.5 point line. So the Sixers have an implied win probability, based on the moneyline, of 74.1%.

On one hand you might look at that as substantial value on the Sixers, given that projections say they should be a bigger favorite.

However, this might be a case of the line telling you something. The Sixers should be the heavy favorite. They should be better. But they are a mediocre-coached team with no continuity right now and a seemingly lack of chemistry. Throw in a dose of the unknown, and while they should still be good enough to win, nothing is a slam dunk with your team, your town.

Sixers Win and Over 226.5 Total Points (+160, DraftKings)

It’s hard to conceptualize throwing money on the Sixers to win, but despite their performance against Indiana, they’re still a vastly more talented team with better top-end talent than the Spurs.

To be clear, 227.5 points is a high over/under and might give bettors pause, however, since the NBA has returned, only five of nineteen games have gone under 226.5 and if you remove the first night’s doubleheader, that number drops to just three of seventeen games under 226.5 total points.

The Spurs have the ability to fill it up, as evidenced by their 129 point performance in Friday’s tilt with the Sacramento Kings, while the Sixers were able to 121 points of their own despite a combined 4-point effort from their staring backcourt of Shake Milton and Josh Richardson. If the Sixers can build off a 41-point effort from Joel Embiid and a 30-point performance from Tobias Harris, combined with the fact that the Sixers’ last five games have gone over the total point threshold, they should be expected to hold up their end of the bargain.

You can get this one at DraftKings Sportsbook by clicking here.

Sixers, Pelicans, and Lakers All to Win (Odds Boost +225, DraftKings)

DraftKings Sportsbook is running a combination odds boost if you think the Sixers can take down the Spurs, the Pelicans can down the Grizzlies, and the Lakers can exert their dominance over the Jazz. The Pelicans’ game against the Grizzlies is a must-win as New Orleans enters play 3.5 games behind Memphis for the eighth seed. A loss here all but eliminates Zion Williamson from reaching the postseason in his highly-touted rookie season. As such, the Pelicans enter play as the favorite at -182 with a -4.5 spread in their favor.

The Lakers are an even bigger favorite and are superior to a Utah Jazz team that squeaked by New Orleans in the first game of the restart, while they were blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-94. When the Jazz are on, they’re great, but the inability of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley to gel after all this time together is alarming. With that in mind, the Lakers are a favorite at -235 with a -6 point spread in their favor.

You can get the Sixers, Pelicans, and Lakers all to win with DraftKings by clicking here. It’s available to all users.

Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Any Sixers Bet (76 to 1 Odds FOX Bet)

FOX Bet is rolling out an incredible 76 to 1 odds offer on any Sixers bet in August. Sign up using the links here depending on your state and place your first bet for $1 on any Sixers single game bet (opt in by selecting “challenges” once you’re signed up). You’ll be credited $76 win or lose.

Sixers vs. Spurs Prediction

Pick: Take advantage of the special August promo from FOX Bet for 76 to 1 odds. Trust the Process, take the Sixers to win and over 226.5 points.

Take the Sixers and over 226.5 points.