Sixers

With Points Prop Rising, How Will Joel Embiid Follow Up Historic Scoring Performance in Indy?

By Joe Tansey

Published: Jan 25th, 2024 · 12:54 PM EST

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The undisputed MVP favorite and the Philadelphia 76ers are in Indiana on Thursday night.

Joel Embiid probably isn’t hitting the 70-point mark again, but there’s a good chance he lights up the Pacers defense and clears the points props set for him via New Jersey online sports betting and PA sportsbooks as well.

Embiid’s number sits at 36.5, which is absurd and speaks to how well he’s played this season, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he’ll easily go over, starting with his history against the Pacers. The Sixers’ big man had at least 37 points in five of his last seven games against Indiana, including three performances topping 40 points. Indiana’s roster looks different than it did when the Sixers played the Pacers in November because of the Pascal Siakam trade, but Siakam’s presence has not stopped the top scorers on opposing teams from putting up some eye-popping numbers.

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray each went for 31 points against Indiana on Tuesday. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker combined for 91 points on Sunday, with Durant leading that group with 40. Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon each had 30-point performances for the Blazers against Indiana on Friday.

Some of the poor defense can be attributed to Tyrese Haliburton’s injury absence. The star point guard is already listed as out for this game.

The Sixers have a lineup concern of their own with Tobias Harris listed as questionable with illness, which would help Embiid’s point production (though it’s not like he needs help scoring at this point).

Tyrese Maxey’s point prop sits at 29.5, but he’s gone under that mark in five of the last six games. The better way to approach Maxey might be his assist prop. He’s averaging 7.3 assists per game in January and had back-t0-back eight-assist games against the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets. Maxey’s assist prop sits at 7.5 for this one.

There’s a chance both Embiid and Maxey go off on the Pacers, because, well, they did so in November. Maxey’s 50-point game came against Indy, a night in which Embiid scored 37, and the duo combined for 66 points against Indiana two days later.