Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Pick

Brooklyn Nets (42-40 SU, 46-37 ATS) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (51-31 SU, 38-45 ATS)
When: Monday, April 15th, 2019 – 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: TNT
By: Matt Lowry, NBA Handicapper, Predictem.com

Point Spread: BKN +8 / PHI -8 (MyBookie Sportsbook)
Total: O/U 225.5
Last Time Out: Brooklyn beat Philadelphia in game one 111-102

Rest Concerns:

This season, the Nets are 26-22 straight up and against the spread, while the 76ers are 32-14 straight up and 24-22 against the spread. These are the records for each team given one day of rest, so Philly holds a slight advantage. However, the biggest question mark in this game will be, “Is Philly going to show more effort in game two?” I will get more into this soon, but after that game one performance, Sixers odds for the series have been lowered dramatically.

Brooklyn’s Finest:

The Nets proved in game one they are not going to be messing around. Most people swept this team under the rug because they were playing one of the favorites to win the East and because they barely made the playoffs. But do not sleep on this young Nets team. D’Angelo Russell had a monster game and will only be looking to build on his game one performance. Unlike the Sixers, the Nets had bench production. Most notably, Caris LeVert dropped 23 points off the bench and shot 8 of 18 from the field. “Can he keep this up?”, is the next question you want to ask yourself. LeVert has now scored double-figures in four straight games going back to the regular season. I believe he is in play-off mode and will continue to step up. The other bench guy worth noting is Spencer Dinwiddie. He scored 18 points and shot 6 of 14 from the field. If the Brooklyn bench produces the amount of points they did in game one, it is a real possibility they will head back to Brooklyn up 2-0 in the series.

Game 2 Pick: Warriors Host Clippers

Sixers’ Group Text:

The biggest issue I had with the Sixers in game one was that they did not seem to care. If you have not already seen, cameras caught a couple Sixers players looking at their phone on the bench in the middle of a playoff game. This is a terrible look for the franchise in general and shows that they really did not want to be there when they were being blown out on their home floor. Reports have said that this player checking his phone was checking on his family, but still it is very unprofessional for anyone on the bench to have their phone out.

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Enough of that and let’s get back to how the Sixers can turn things around in game two. To start, someone other than Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid must put the ball in the basket. Butler and Embiid combined for 58 points and the Sixers scored 102 total points. That is 56.9% of their points scored. On paper the Sixers have an amazing starting five. These guys should not be struggling as much as they are, especially against the Nets, who have been rebuilding. The other issue is the bench for the Sixers is weak. They had just 26 bench points in game one compared to 59 bench points for the Nets. Look for Brett Brown to change up the game plan and play Boban Marjanovic to provide valuable bench minutes and help bolster the Sixers rotation.

Best Bet:

I just cannot get over the whole looking at your cell phone on the bench thing and therefore I am leaning towards the Nets. The Sixers energy level was just not there, and it showed, given how the game ended. Now, I do think the Sixers will come out in this game much more motivated and will get the win. However, the Nets have proven they are a very good team and will keep this game close enough to cover the spread.

Take the Brooklyn Nets +8