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Sixers vs. Hornets Betting Preview (January 4, 2021)
By Russ Joy
Published:
On Monday night, the Sixers and Hornets meet for the second time in three nights. The first meeting between the teams on Saturday night went in Philadelphia’s favor 127-112. Let’s get into our Sixers-Hornets betting preview, including odds, boosts, and picks.
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Preview
The first meeting between Charlotte and Philadelphia went in the Sixers’ favor by fifteen points in a game that didn’t feel particularly close. In fact, as we predicted in our preview ahead of Saturday’s matchup, the Sixers struggled to contain a dynamic scoring guard as Terry Rozier went off to the tune of 35 points. Free agent signing Gordon Hayward put up a respectable 20/6/6 line to keep the game from being an absolute blowout.
The most disappointing player on Saturday night was LaMelo Ball, who was dogged consistently by Sixers point guard Ben Simmons. Ball mustered just 13 points on 4-12 shooting from the field.
Sixers guard Shake Milton saw the most minutes of any Sixers bench player, contributing 18 points in 25 minutes of game action.
Sixers vs. Hornets Odds
Here’s the line for the Sixers and Hornets at DraftKings Sportsbook PA:
- Spread: Sixers -8, Hornets +8
- Moneyline: Sixers -335, Hornets +270
- Total: 222.5
And here are the current best available odds for the Sixers (may not display on Google AMP pages):
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”76ers” size=”300×250″ site_id=”crossingbroad”]
Bets We Like With a Sixers Win
FiveThirtyEight gives the Sixers an 84% chance of winning with a -10.5 point spread. Philadelphia’s implied win probability based on the moneyline is 74%. Both the projection model and oddsmakers have tightened up a bit on the spread and moneyline odds following Saturday’s game. The O/U line has also jumped considerably between games.
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Sixers Win and Under 222.5 Points (+148, DraftKings)
The Sixers and Hornets shot the lights out on Saturday night, but it likely came as more of an anomaly than a trend to watch going forward. Keep in mind that each of the Sixers’ first five games on the season went under the total points threshold, often by a considerable margin:
- vs. Washington: 220 points (U 231.0)
- @ New York: 198 points (U 215.0)
- @ Cleveland: 212 points (U 217.5)
- vs. Toronto: 193 points (U 219.5)
- @ Orlando: 208 points (U 219.0)
The Hornets started the season hitting the over, then followed it up with a four-game stretch that saw each game’s total go under the total points threshold before playing the Sixers:
- vs. Oklahoma City: 216 points (U 219.5)
- vs. Brooklyn: 210 points (U 233.0)
- @ Dallas: 217 points (U 225.0)
- vs. Memphis: 201 points (U 220.0)
The Sixers benefitted from some absolutely unconscious shooting from beyond the arc with their starting five connecting on 11-21 shots from deep. One would assume that head coach Doc Rivers might look to match up Simmons against Rozier to limit the damage and allow LaMelo Ball to try to carry the load against Danny Green.
Given that the O/U has risen 5.5 points between games, the under is a much more comfortable bet than ahead of the last game between the teams.
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Ben Simmons to Record a Triple-Double and Sixers to Win (+600, FOX Bet)
This isn’t a bet that we’re 100% sold on, but there’s reason to believe that Sixers point guard Ben Simmons could repeat his triple-double performance from Saturday night.
Simmons averaged nearly a double-double through the Sixers’ first few games of the season and flirted with a triple-double in a road win over the Orlando Magic despite playing just 25 minutes. While he didn’t play against the Hornets in 2019-20, he was electric in four games against Charlotte in the 2018-19 season, averaging 21.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.
His final line against the Hornets this past weekend of 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists was even more impressive given that he took a mere nine shots from the field.
Given that he’s already done it once this season and he nearly did it in three of the last four games against Charlotte in 2018-19, it’s worth taking a flier on at +600 odds. A max bet of $83.33 would pay out a whopping $583.31.
Bets We Like Independent of Outcome
Joel Embiid and Bismack Biyombo Both to Record 7+ Rebounds (-165, BetMGM)
This bet might not have as much upside as our normal prop bets independent of outcome, but it’s worth taking a look at because it’s likely to hit.
Sixers franchise center Joel Embiid has been an absolute beast on the boards and is third in the NBA with 12.6 rebounds per game. He’s crossed the 10 rebound threshold in all but one of his games this year, which came in his lowest-minute game in a blowout of the Orlando Magic. He still managed to pull down 9 rebounds in 27 minutes of action. His 14 rebound performance against Charlotte on Saturday night was the second time he’s had exactly 14 rebounds, and ripped 16 against the Raptors.
Bismack Biyombo is averaging 7.7 rebounds on the season, up from 5.8 rebounds per game a season ago. He pulled down nine rebounds against the Sixers this past weekend after nabbing a season-high 12 rebounds in a 108-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
This bet hinges more on Biyombo, but it’s a solid bet overall.
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Sixers vs. Hornets Prediction
Pick: The end result of this game shouldn’t differ a ton from Saturday’s 127-112 Sixers win. Philadelphia hasn’t lost at home since December of 2018. Trust a veteran Sixers coaching staff to limit Terry Rozier, stifling Charlotte’s offense, and coming away with a victory in a lower-scoring game. Take the Sixers to Win and Under 222.5 points.
Russ Joy hosts The Russ Joy Show, Snow The Goalie: A Flyers Podcast, and It's Just Wrestling Podcast. He's blogged about Philly sports on Crossing Broad since before the Eagles won a Super Bowl. A graduate of West Chester University of PA and California University of PA, Russ is also a husband and father of four. Follow him on Twitter: @JoyOnBroad