A Western Conference team on the rise hosts an Eastern Conference team experiencing some inconsistency when the Philadelphia 76ers take the floor in Houston against the Rockets on Friday night. Philadelphia took apart the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day, shutting down Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, since then, they have dropped three straight road games, all against contenders. They fell to Orlando and Miami by one point each, and then they lost to Indiana (without Joel Embiid). The Sixers have won just seven of 18 road games this season. So there is a talented team in Philadelphia, but one that has a hard time finishing the job away from Wells Fargo Arena. Who will win on Friday night? Check out our sports betting preview of these two contenders.
76ers vs Rockets 2019 NBA Odds, Preview & Prediction
✈️ ✈️ ✈️#PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/QgZJzzaifB
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 3, 2020
- When: Friday, January 3, 2020, 8:00 pm ET
- Where: Toyota Center, Houston
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: WPEN 97.5 FM Philadelphia / KBME 790 AM Houston
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- NBA Odds: Houston -4.5 / O/U 224.5
Why should you bet on Philadelphia?
Philadelphia will have their hands full as the Rockets have seen their offense take off lately. The Rockets’ offense is now second in the NBA behind that of the surprising Dallas Mavericks. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons can score in buckets, but they have not scored as prolifically as the Houston Rockets; they rank just 14th in the NBA, scoring 109.6 points per contest.
If the 76ers are going to win this game, they will do it with their defense. They are sixth in the NBA in defensive efficiency, limiting their opponents to 105.4 points per contest. When Joel Embiid is in the middle, the 76ers’ defense gets even stronger, but Al Horford can do some damage of his own inside. Embiid was a full participant in practice on Thursday, so he should log some significant minutes. But can the likes of Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson fill their roles well enough for Philadelphia to take on a hot Houston team on the road? Remember that as well as Philadelphia has played on defense, on the road, they permit a 46.9 percent shooting percentage to their opponents.
Why should you put your money on Houston?
Houston’s most impressive recent win came in 130-104 fashion over the Denver Nuggets, a team off to their best start since the 1976-77 season. James Harden faced a double team from the Nuggets for most of the night, but he just found the open shooter time and time again until the double team on him slackened a bit — and he put up 35 points of his own. When Harden and Russell Westbrook are both on the floor, doubling Harden basically meant that Russell Westbrook got to lead a 4-3 with the other players on the floor.
Philadelphia is a solid defensive team, and it would not surprise me to see a similar approach against Harden on Friday night. Joel Embiid remains questionable for Philadelphia, and if the 76ers are still missing their uber-center, that will make things much easier for the Rockets, so check those injury reports before you bet. Houston does have a hard time on the defensive end of the floor, so the likes of Ben Simmons could put up a ton of points. If you like Houston, then you see the Rockets prevailing in a track meet.
Final Score Prediction
In addition to the comparatively poor numbers that the 76ers have put up on the road, covering just twice in their last nine games outside the City of Brotherly Love, they have covered just once in their last five games after a straight up loss and just once in their last six games against a team with a record above .500. Embiid and the rest of the 76ers will put up a fight, as they are good at playing to the level of their opponent, but they will not be able to keep up with Harden & Westbrook. I predict a final score of Houston 125, Philadelphia 117.
