The 76ers are searching for their sixth consecutive win, while the Kings are hoping for another victory after Tuesday’s victory over the Thunder. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Sixers at Kings
Spread:Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 206 (-110)
The Sixers are looking to extend the winning run to six matches
The Philadelphia 76ers are currently the hottest team in the NBA following five wins in a row, three of which came on the road, and are hoping to record another one on Thursday in Sacramento. Philadelphia defeated the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, 104:97, and is a favorite to beat the Kings, who are among the worst teams in the league.
The Sixers played excellent defense and limited Utah to just 30.3% from the field, and although their shooting wasn’t great (42%), they hit 12 threes on 27 attempts (44.4%). Philadelphia dominated under the rims with 56 boards in opposite to the Jazz’s 45, and they had eight assists more than the hosts (23-15). Philly committed even ten more turnovers (22-12), but in the end, the solid defense and three players with double-doubles prevailed. Dario Saric led the 76ers with a season-high 25 points, along with five three-pointers and ten rebounds, while JJ Redick contributed with 20 points. Ben Simmons posted a third straight double-double of 16 points, 13 boards, and six dishes, with game-highs three steals, and three blocks. Robert Covington had another good game with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, but he fouled out and logged 28 minutes. Once again, Brett Brown’s decision to start Simmons at the point guard proved to be the winning one, and it seems that the coach finally found his starting five. The fact that they were playing without the center Joel Embiid who was rested for the clash at Utah shows the squad depth and Sixers’ quality. Embiid is the player to watch on Thursday in a matchup with Willie Cauley-Stein, and I expect him to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor. Joel will jump right back into the starting lineup, while Richaun Holmes will move back to the bench, but Saric should remain the starter and face the experienced Zach Randolph.
Brett Brown will be without a guard Jerryd Bayless, who sustained a left wrist injury and is out indefinitely, but will be evaluated prior to the Saturday’s clash with the reigning champions Golden State Warriors. Timothe Luwawu and T.J. McConnell will see increased minutes as a result of Bayless’ injury, but I don’t think the 76ers will miss Jerryd too much as they already have a talented backcourt. The bad news is that the rookie point guard Markelle Fultz is still sidelined with a right shoulder injury, and missed the previous six matches. Fultz should be back in a month time, while in the meantime, Philadelphia recalled the Turkish international Furkan Korkmaz from the G-League to serve as an emergency guard in case other players sustain an injury. The 76ers are scoring 107.30 points per contest on average (11th in the NBA), while they are allowing 107.40 points in return (21st in the NBA). They are in the high fourth position when it comes to rebounds (47.70) and three-point shooting (39.94%), while the defense allows just 42.76% from the field (2nd in the NBA), and 30.50% from beyond the arc (1st in the NBA).
Place: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Date/Time: Thursday, November 9th, 2017, 10 PM ET
TV Coverage: NBCSCA, NBCSP+, KHTK SPORTS
The Kings are hoping for back-to-back victories
The Sacramento Kings are welcoming the Sixers on the wings of a huge upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they went against the odds and beat the favored opponents 94:86. Nobody expected the Kings to defeat Oklahoma, especially after the miserable start of the campaign (1-8), but they surprised with some excellent defensive plays and contained the Thunder big guns.
The Kings limited the opponents to 33.7% from the field, while they had pretty decent 46.8%, and even with 23 turnovers, they managed to defeat Oklahoma. Buddy Hield led Sacramento with season-high 21 points (7-9 FG, 4-4 3PT), along with seven rebounds and two thefts, while the veteran Zach Randolph added 18 points, eight boards, and a pair of steals. Just Jackson scored a career-high 16 points and four rebounds, while the rookie point guard De’Aron Fox chipped in with ten points and game-high eight dimes. Bogdan Bogdanovic had a quiet night with only seven points (2-8 FG) but contributed to the defense with career-high two rejections. George Hill returned to the floor from his personal leave and disappointed in 24 minutes, scoring one point, and it appears that Fox could take his starting job pretty soon. Hill should bounce back on this one, and I expect the same from Bogdanovic, but the Serbian will face Covington in a not very favorable matchup. Randolph is facing Saric and should use all of his experience and cunningness to stop the Croatian youngster, and considering Z-Bo’s form of late; I think he’s still capable of playing a significant role.
Dave Joerger is delighted to have all the players at his disposal as no new injuries occurred, and will likely field Hill, Temple, Bogdanovic, Randolph, and Cauley-Stein. Buddy Hield is the player to be watched, and if displays another solid performance off the bench, he could return to the starting five instead of Temple or Bogdanovic. The Kings are scoring 93.80 points per contest (30th in the NBA), while they are allowing 103.80 points in return (10th in the NBA). Their defense is not bad at all, but the offense must step up and score close to 100 to have a chance of improving the current 2-8 record.
Philadelphia 76ers at Sacramento Kings Trends & Prediction
The 76ers are 8-2 against the spread (5-1 away), while they are 6-4 on over/under (4-2 away), so given that Philly has solid away record when it comes to spread, betting on them to defeat the hosts by seven points is not a bad deal.
The Kings are 3-6-1 against the spread (2-2 home), while they are 4-6 on over/under (1-3 home), and even though they allowed only 86 points to Oklahoma, I don’t believe it will happen here so that I would suggest OVER on this one. Philadelphia is in a good scoring form, and with all the talent they have on the roster, it is hard to think they will not score at least 110 here.
My Pick: Philadelphia -6.5 (-110)
Total: Over 206 (-110)
