How to Bet the Sixers Against the Utah Jazz Without Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid will not be on the court for the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night in Utah.

That’s terrifying from a fan standpoint because of what might be wrong with his knee. It’s a relief, though, to sports bettors who don’t have to wait until seconds before tipoff to find out if he’s a go. That’s been a recent hallmark of Pennsylvania online sports betting, the question of whether or not the reigning MVP is going to be available.

Thursday’s game against the Jazz will actually be the second time the Sixers face Utah without Embiid this season. And for the conspiracy theorists, the real story here is Embiid ducking Lauri Markkanen and John Collins for the second time in less than a month.

The Sixers trotted out a squad without Embiid and Tobias Harris on January 6th, so at least we have an idea of what a game between the depleted Sixers and the Jazz looks like. Utah won that matchup by 14 points and is rightfully favored by 4.5 in this one. That number could rise a point or two if Tyrese Maxey, who is currently listed as questionable, does not play. Harris will play, so at least there’s that.

The Sixers are 3-9 straight up and 5-7 against the spread without Embiid this season. The over is 7-5 in the Sixers’ games without Embiid, but that isn’t a significant enough record either way to bet the total of 238.5 points on Thursday.

The sample size is also mixed on Tobias Harris’ return without Embiid. Harris has played 86 times without Embiid since joining the Sixers. He averaged 20.6 points and 7.0 rebounds in those games, but in five of his last seven games without Embiid, Harris scored at least 22 points.

And, you guessed it, Harris’ point prop sits squarely at 22.5 points as of Wednesday afternoon. That number will probably go up if Maxey doesn’t play.

As for Utah, Markkanen and Collin Sexton each recorded double-doubles against the Sixers last month. Those two and John Collins combined for 74 of Utah’s 120 points.

Collins could be the ideal guy to bet from a Utah player prop perspective because he’s got a good history against the Sixers. He scored at least 15 points in 10 of his 20 career games versus Philadelphia. He also had at least eight rebounds in 11 of those games. Collins’ props sit at 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.

While all that information is nice, it could just be the perfect night to go to bed early, or spend your time with PA online casino, because at least one star is out, and if Monday’s loss in Portland is any indication, it might get ugly for the short-handed Sixers.