On Thursday night, the Sixers are back in Brooklyn to take on the Nets, leaders of the Atlantic Division. The Sixers are second in the division, which sounds good until you see that they are six games back of the Nets and clinging to the last non-play-in playoff spot in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have won two in a row and are hoping to finish this three-game road trip with another win. The Nets have also won two in a row.

Let’s get into our Sixers vs. Nets betting pick with player prop predictions, odds, and analysis for this December 30, 2021 matchup.

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Sixers vs. Nets Betting Pick (December 30, 2021)

Keith Pompey’s set-to with Doc Rivers a couple of nights back has been analyzed quite a bit, by the writer himself and by our own Sixers beat man. Still, we have questions.

Per Pompey, “The Inquirer (that’s him in this instance) asked Rivers if he was concerned by the trend of close games against undermanned teams.” Pompey was referring to Tuesday night’s narrow win over a COVID-depleted Toronto Raptors team, and probably also the inexcusable home loss to an Atlanta Hawks team on December 23 where at least four of the Hawks’ starters and a few of their key reserves were all out.

This was the answer Pompey got, eventually: “I’m just miffed by that question. That’s a question that always tells me, like, clearly you didn’t play enough to kind of understand that.”

The former professional athlete coach looking down at the reporter who “never played the game” thing has been going on since former pro athletes started taking jobs coaching and managing professional teams. Rivers didn’t invent this. What Rivers did do, though, is paint himself into a little bit of a spot by not defining what “you didn’t play enough” means.

Rivers played fourteen seasons in the league, appearing in 864 games. If that’s the standard, i.e., how long he played and how many games he played, given the current roster of NBA head coaches, he’s actually behind some guys. Jason Kidd played essentially forever, logging 1,391 games in the league over 21 seasons. Chauncey Billups played an astounding 21 seasons and appeared in 1043 games. Steve Kerr appeared in 910 games over 16 seasons. Some other guys are behind Rivers (Nate McMillan, Larry Drew, Monty Williams, Tyronn Lue) but they all had long careers so, presumably, they all pass his test. 

Gregg Popovich, who has five NBA title rings, never played in the league. What about him? Erik Spoelstra (two rings) played at the University of Portland but never in the league. Is he in the club? Maybe these two are too obvious, so let’s try some others. Chris Finch played Division III basketball at Franklin and Marshall College. Has he played – or coached – “enough” to “understand” what the coaches are trying to accomplish? Then you have guys like Tom Thibodeau and Mike Budenholzer who quite clearly never played in the league. What’s Rivers’ take on their bona fides?

Rivers has absolutely been around long enough to know that you never have to explain or make excuses for succeeding. If he doesn’t want Pompey (and others) sniffing around about how the Sixers keep getting taken to the last two minutes by teams that are missing their best players, there’s a way to fix that. 

Put the obviously winnable games away earlier.

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Sixers vs. Nets Odds

Here’s the line for the Sixers and Nets at FanDuel Sportsbook:

  • Point Spread: Sixers +5.5 (-114), Nets -5.5 (-106)
  • Moneyline: Sixers +180, Nets -215
  • Total: 221.5

Bets We Like With a Sixers Win

Sixers to Win and Over 221.5 Total Points (+412, FanDuel Sportsbook)

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There just isn’t a likely path to keeping the Nets under 110 points — they average 110.5 per game. Kevin Durant and James Harden are both playing, and aside from Joe Harris (out after ankle surgery), the Nets are basically intact roster-wise. Matisse Thybulle might be able to slow one of the Nets’ stars down (“might” doing some heavy lifting there), but he can’t be everywhere. So if the Sixers do win, they’ll have to win a shootout. +412 tells you how unlikely that is, but if you must….

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Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Kevin Durant Over 26.5 Points (-125, Caesars Sportsbook)

As the old saying goes, if you pay for quality you never feel like you got cheated. This -125 stings, but it’s ultimately worth it. Durant is averaging 29.7 points per game this season and tonight he is playing in a nationally televised game against a putative rival that doesn’t present a great defensive challenge. The book could have set this at 29.5 points and -125 and it would still be a good bet.

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Joel Embiid Over 11.5 Rebounds (-115, DraftKings Sportsbook)

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This specific prop has burned us lately, but then again, no one knew when we took it in the Hawks game last week that the Sixers would come out playing as if it was a preseason game. Embiid will also want to deliver his best performance on the NBA TV broadcast, and while the Nets have scorers aplenty, the fact that Durant and Harden also lead them in rebounding tells you that the Nets don’t have a monster underneath to neutralize Embiid’s size.

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Matisse Thybulle Under 6.5 Points (-110, FOX Bet)

Ordinarily we shy away from prop totals this low. A guy can break this prop in three possessions with a made three, a steal and dunk, and a rebound tip-in. It can get pretty gross pretty quickly. But Thybulle, if you hadn’t noticed, is what he is — an elite NBA defender who still hasn’t figured out how to be useful on offense. He is averaging 5.5 points per game this season and 4.5 points per game in his career. Tonight, he has two specific problems. The first is that when he’s on the court tonight, it’s almost exclusively to defend. The second is that if the Sixers get behind, they have to pull Thybulle for shooters. UNDER.

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Sixers vs. Nets Prediction

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For weeks now, we have been saddled watching teams depleted by injury and COVID-19 health and safety protocols. All the while, we cried to the sky, “Give us games with fully healthy teams!” Well, here’s one for you tonight. The Nets are better than the Sixers, they’re healthy, and they’re at home. Be careful what you wish for.

Pick: Nets moneyline and over 222. (+175, Barstool Sportsbook)

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