The Philadelphia 76ers find themselves in a must-win scenario on November 15th.

That’s the magic of the NBA Cup!

The Sixers are a 2.5-point underdog against the Orlando Magic and need a win as a +114 money line underdog to avoid going 0-2 in East Group A.

A second loss in group play would likely take the Sixers out of quarterfinals contention. The top team advances from each group, and with each team only playing four group games, it’s almost mathematically impossible to rebound from 0-2.

Whether you care about the NBA Cup or not, Friday’s game is a chance to see Joel Embiid on the floor for the second time with Paul George and to see how the Sixers can deal with a tough opponent in the Magic, who, despite losing Paolo Banchero to injury, are 7-6 and play tough defense.


Orlando is 6-7 to the over this season, but they’re 6-1 to the under in the last seven games. They held their last four opponents under 100 points, which is why Friday’s over/under sits at 210.5, a relatively low number by NBA standards.

The Magic do not have superstar power. They’re just playing well thanks to solid team defense. Franz Wagner has taken control of the Banchero role as the top scorer, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Goga Bitadze aren’t really moving the needle.

If Embiid was a few more games into his season, I would feel a lot more confident in the Sixers just using pure star power between Embiid and George to get by.

However, Embiid’s 13 points, five assists, and three rebounds in his debut against the New York Knicks doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that he can carry the Sixers to a win yet.

Embiid’s props sit at over/under 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. That’s roughly where his props sat at for Tuesday’s game.

I don’t think anyone in good faith will tell you to bet the overs on Embiid props, especially in this type of matchup, so if anything, take the under on points and rebounds, or just stay away from him completely.

On the other hand, Paul George is certainly worth looking at. He’s coming off a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double and is averaging 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

George’s props sit at over/under 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. I’d seriously look into the rebound props if he’s going to play over 30 minutes and the Magic force a ton of tough shots.

Jared McCain will probably be a popular player for props off the bench, but we likely will not get those until close to tipoff.

As for the Magic, Wagner is the only player I’d think about for props because he’s done a bit of everything. He’s averaging 23.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game in November. The over on Wagner’s rebound prop of 5.5 should be under consideration because of how rusty Embiid could look.

A combination of Wagner and George to have 20+ points and 6+ rebounds each pays out at +470 on DraftKings and +532 on FanDuel.

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