Atlanta Hawks vs Philadelphia 76ers Preview, Odds and Predictions

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The Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks face a 7:00 pm ET tip-off at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, and we’ve got you covered for the second installment of the Hawks vs 76ers matchup of the season in this basketball betting preview. That is complete with predictions free picks and best bets sourced from NBA odds powered by BUSR sportsbook.

Hawks vs Sixers NBA Odds

• Spread: Sixers -7 (-110)
• Moneyline: Hawks +220 | Sixers 270
• Total: O 243 (-110) | U 243 (-110)

The 76ers have the sports betting markets cornered across the board. They are favored to win and positioned as the seven-point home favorites over the Hawks. Will the Sixers come through on these sizeable expectations? Or will the Hawks give the Sixers a run for their money?

Sixers Bounce Back

The Sixers snapped a two-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 131-126 win over the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital. Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, put on a clinic. He scored a season-high 50 points and added 13 rebounds to help lift his side to the victory on the road.

Embiid, who was making his first appearance after missing back-to-back games, was sharper than ever from the field, going 19 of 24 in the high-paced game. He dropped a couple of three-pointers, hit 11 of 13 free throws, and added six assists to his credit as well.

Embiid wasn’t the only player putting on a show, however. Tyrese Maxey did his bit, putting up 26 points and adding a rebound and seven assists. That’s great news for Philadelphia.

In addition, De’Anthony Melton is proving to be a nice complement to the two-punch offense of Embiid and Maxey. He added 19 points with five rebounds and four assists in Philly’s win over the Wizards.

Melton couldn’t help but gush over Embiid’s performance. “It was quite 50,” said Melton in his post-game chat with the media, adding. “He was just going out there effortlessly shooting the ball and scoring.” [Source: ESPN ]

By the stats, the Sixers are fourth in the Eastern Conference standings behind a 13-7 record through 20 games and a 13-7 against-the-spread record with a 6.9 winning margin on average. The over has cashed in 14 of their 20 games.

Philadelphia is two games back of the conference-leading Boston Celtics, with the New York Knicks (12-8) and the Indiana Pacers (11-8) nipping at their heels in the race for a Top 6 finish this season.

Hawks Drop Second In a Row

The Hawks are riding a two-game losing streak into Friday’s clash with the Sixers in the City of Brotherly Love, including a wild 114-113 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.  Mikal Bridges’ jumper snatched the victory for the visitors in the final minutes of a back-and-forth game that set an NBA record for 43 lead changes.

It’s safe to say the Hawks weren’t without their chances in the game. Trae Young looked for the last-gasp game-winner at the buzzer and he had a shot until it bounced off the rim.

Nevertheless, the crafty guard had a stellar night. He led his side with 30 points, one rebound, and nine assists. It was his third straight game leading the Hawks in scoring and the third 30-plus game in a row.

Saddiq Bey and Bogdan Bogdanovic put up 21 and 20 points, respectively.  While De’Andre Hunter had 14 points with four rebounds and two assists.

Atlanta coach Quin Snyder weighed in on the tough loss. “Tough to lose the game on the final possession,” he said. “I thought we played as well defensively as we have in a while. You’d like that effort to be rewarded with a win.” [Source: ESPN]

By the stats, the Hawks are tenth in the Eastern Conference standings behind a 9-11 record through 20 games and six games back of the leading Celtics. They are 6-5 on the road this season, but just 2-3 in their last five away games.

NBA betting trends have seen the over cash in 12 of their 20 games, but, at the same time, the Hawks are a league-worst 5-11-0 ATS with a 0.3 margin of victory on average.

Atlanta Hawks (9-11) vs Philadelphia 76ers (13-7)
Date: Friday, Dec. 8, 7 pm ET
Location: Wells Fargo Center
Live Stream: NBA Game Pass

Hawks vs 76ers Preview

Although the Hawks and 76ers appear to be heading in opposite directions at this early juncture of the regular season, both sides boast top-tier offenses (by the numbers). The Hawks boast the second-best offense (at the time of writing) with 122.7 ppg. The Sixers are not far behind with 120.7 ppg.

The defense has let Atlanta down, ranking 27th overall with 122.4 ppg allowed. As well, turnovers are a big issue with the Hawks –  at 15.4 turnovers per game, they are the third-worst in the league. These are areas that the Sixers offense will be primed to exploit and a weakness in Atlanta that might explain why the NBA odds are stacked heavily against them here.

Even without James Harden, the Sixers are an offensive-minded team with one of the most influential players in the game. Embiid leads the league with 33.1 ppg. He has a 51.1 field goal percentage, 32.1 three-point percentage, averages 11.4 RPG and 6.6 APG.

On the flipside, Young appears to have found his stride of late behind a three-game 30-plus performance. That will be crucial in the face of a Sixers defense that ranks 18th with 113.8 ppg allowed and 13th in turnovers at 13.8 ppg. If he can carry the momentum into Wells Fargo Center, the Hawks could make a fist of it against the NBA odds.

Hawks vs 76ers Prediction and Picks

Philadelphia took the first meeting 126-116 in Atlanta, coming through as the nominal -1.5 closing favorites on the road. They also defeated the Hawks 120-106 in their pre-season matchup.

Philly’s positive run of form, recent edge over Atlanta, and home advantage give weight to the NBA betting markets. Sure, the Hawks will be motivated, especially after Wednesday’s disappointing home loss. But if Embiid is on fire again, it’s hard to see how they will keep up for the better part of four quarters to pull off the cover, never mind pulling off the outright upset win.

NBA Picks: Philadelphia 76ers -7 
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