Sixers vs. Suns Betting Odds, Picks, Prediction (February 8, 2022)
On Tuesday night, the Sixers are back from their short road stint to take on the Phoenix Suns at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers are two games out of first place in the Eastern Conference, and at the same time the Sixers are three games above the playoff play-in places. It’s that kind of year. The Suns are 43-10 and have the best record in the NBA.
Let’s get into our Sixers vs. Suns betting pick with player prop predictions, odds, and analysis for this February 8 2022 matchup.
Sixers vs. Suns Betting Pick (February 8, 2022)
It would be so, so much worse for the Sixers if Mikal Bridges was better than he is.
Sixers fans will never live down the trade where the Sixers moved up to take Markelle Fultz and gave the Boston Celtics both the pick that turned into Jayson Tatum and another pick. Tatum is an All-Star, and it’s really tough watching him excel for a hated rival. But as time has passed, it has become apparent that Fultz was just another one of those first overall picks who was destined to disappoint. The league has seen plenty of them — Kwame Brown, Greg Oden, Anthony Bennett, Ben Simmons — you really can’t trust no one. OK, maybe Simmons doesn’t belong on that list. Maybe.
Anyway, at least Fultz was someone who appeared capable of playing basketball at an NBA level on the day the Sixers drafted him. The trade the Sixers made with the Suns where they sent Bridges to the Suns for Zhaire Smith was a horror show from moment one. The Sixers also got the Miami Heat’s 2021 first round pick in the deal, but that pick left in the Tobias Harris trade and changed hands multiple times after that. In other words, that pick never had that much value to begin with.
Smith is now in the G League, and it doesn’t look like there is a path to him returning to the NBA, much less playing at the level Bridges has played at. But before we shed any more crocodile tears, it’s worth noting that the inconsistency Bridges exhibited at Villanova — which pushed his draft value down a few ticks — is still part of his profile in Phoenix. Bridges is averaging 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Suns this season. Granted, he’s on a team with three guys who demand a lot of the basketball (Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton). There is a possibility that, down the road, Bridges either assumes a bigger role in Phoenix or is moved to a weaker team where he will have to do more.
For now, though, Bridges is good enough to make it sting to remember that the Sixers gave him away, but not so good that the sting is incapacitating. It’s more of an annoyance than anything.
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Sixers vs. Suns Odds
Here’s the line for the Sixers and Suns at FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Point Spread: Sixers -1 (-110), Suns +1 (-110)
- Moneyline: Sixers -115, Suns -102
- Total: 218
Bets We Like With a Sixers Win
Sixers to Win and Under 218 Total Points (+232, FanDuel Sportsbook)
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The Suns are the third-highest scoring team in the league (113 points per game) and the sixth-best in points against (105.3 points per game). That’s how you get the best record in the league. The Sixers are eighth in the league in points against (105.6), but they’re a fairly dismal 21st in points per game (107.8). If the Sixers are going to beat the Suns, they will need to play defense at their base line of good-to-very-good and grind out just enough points to get by.
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Bets We Like Independent of Outcome
Joel Embiid Under 31.5 Points (-120, Caesars Sportsbook)
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This far into the season, it’s possible to pick out patterns. With Embiid, there is a pattern, though it takes a little bit of thought to decipher it. The pattern looks like this: When Embiid is facing a team missing a bunch of starters, or a bad team with no competent low post defenders, he goes off. That pattern held pretty well through that stretch where Embiid was scoring 30+ points per game. In recent days, though, Embiid is still playing well but not dominating nightly, and the opposition is part of that. Embiid had 26 against the Lakers and Anthony Davis and 27 against the Mavericks when Dwight Powell played a little above his head. Tonight, Embiid has to deal with Deandre Ayton. The going will not be easy.
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Tyrese Maxey Under 5.5 Assists (-165, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Chris Paul is the reason this prop looks like this. Maxey has actually blossomed into an effective passer in recent weeks, averaging over seven assists per game over his last six games. But Maxey isn’t nearly at the level of Paul, who isn’t going to give Maxey the space or time to pick out easy passes. For that matter, even the entries to Embiid, which have led to a lot of easy baskets lately, may not yield as many made buckets tonight.
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Sixers to Win First Quarter (-118, FOX Bet)
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This game’s full time line is only as close as it is for two reasons. The first reason is that this is the Suns’ last game of a four-game road trip which has the Suns playing their third game in four days and their second of a road back-to-back. The second reason is the the Sixers’ starting five is pretty good. Where the Suns project to hurt the Sixers is when the second unit comes in…that might get ugly. But enjoy the first quarter anyway.
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Sixers vs. Suns Prediction
STATES: KS, AZ, LA, CO, IL, IN, MI, PA, VA, NJ, IA, WV, TN
Aside from the Suns being a little road weary, and heading home after this one to face the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, there would be almost no compelling reason to even look in the Sixers’ direction in this game. Some people are going to look at this line and say that the line is telling them that the Sixers are going to win. If you have read this column enough, you know that we don’t do superstition. The book is offering us the best team in the league at nearly even money. Yes please.
Pick: Suns moneyline (-106, Barstool Sportsbook)
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