NBA: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors Preview, Odds, Prediction

The banged-up Philadelphia 76ers visit the NBA-best, Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. The guests from the City of Brotherly Love have numerous players struggling with injuries, among them Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry. Meanwhile, there are no such issues among the hosts, who are currently the best team in the league, led by the best player in the NBA – Steph Curry. It would be fun to see two brothers going one against another, but the doctors will be the ones to decide in this case.

Preview

Philadelphia 76ers (10-8, TBA) are closing their exhausting tour through the East. The game against the Warriors will be the sixth consecutive away from Philly and the last one for Doc Rivers’ side.

Their record in the previous five was two wins and three losses, which isn’t that bad when seeing all the adversities this unit faced. Joel Embiid is injured, Ben Simmons still doesn’t want to play, and recently both Tobias Harris and Seth Curry picked up slight injuries, and both of them will be game-time decisions vs. GSW.

The 76ers managed to beat the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, 102-94, and bring a breath of fresh air into their locker room. Tyrese Maxey had 24 points, and we need to add that the young point guard is one of the most talented in his position in the entire NBA. Right out of nowhere, Philly hit the jackpot, and they can now use Simmons as a trade asset to bring one more big name and boost their title odds.

Golden State Warriors (15-2, TBA) have the four wins in a row, but more importantly, a bit easier schedule in terms of playing more games at home than on the road over the next two weeks.

The Dub Nation’s Steph Curry is the NBA MVP frontrunner, but we need to add that the team showed the ability to play without him and still post victories. We’ve seen that in Detroit and the most recent contest vs. Raptors, Curry was neither the top scorer nor the key factor on the court.

Jordan Poole ran things, with the sharpshooter recording back-to-back 30+point games, showing that he can cover up Klay Thompson and back up Curry. Against the Raptors, Poole scored 33 points, while Andrew Wiggins added 32. These two guys scored 14 threes combined, in 19 shots.

Head to Head Games

It is interesting to see that the home court didn’t have some significant advantage in the 2020 season. The first game was in Philly, and the Warriors won, 108-98. The 76ers hit back in California 107-96, to even the series. Both events were highly entertaining.

Prediction

Without Embiid and with Harris and Curry questionable, the 76ers will have a tough time competing with the best team in the league. Their energy is fading after a long and very rough journey, and we really think that the Warriors won’t have some particular trouble in defeating this opponent. The profits aren’t high, but looking from this perspective, they are pretty safe. Therefore, go with the hosts.

Pick: Warriors win