Sixers-Nets Series Preview: Philly Ready to Roll Over Brooklyn

The No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers and No. 6 Brooklyn Nets will open up the NBA postseason this Saturday in South Philly, with the Sixers coming in as -800 favorites on the FanDuel Sportsbook to advance.Need to Know

Joel Embiid is the Sixers this season, as it appears he’s en route to winning his first NBA MVP. Embiid will dominate, but he also has the best supporting cast he’s ever had. James Harden enters his second postseason with the Sixers after a disappointing 2022 appearance. This time Harden and Embiid are one of the most impressive duos in basketball.

This version of the Nets is not what we expected at the start of the regular season. The departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving left the Nets in Mikal Bridges’s hands. He averaged 26 points per game since arriving, but the team went 13-15 since trading Durant. Still, they’ve been fun and will be an exciting team to watch next season. 

At this time of year, nobody is fully healthy. The Nets and Sixers are dealing with their fair share of injuries. Harden has been nursing an Achilles injury, but Doc Rivers has stated that the pre-postseason rest has dramatically benefited his recovery. Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson are also dealing with lingering injuries but won’t see any playoff limitations. Ben Simmons will remain out for the Nets, but let’s not act as if he mattered.

Regardless of the matchup, Embiid will get his. Jacque Vaughn has done an excellent job since taking over for Steve Nash, and he’ll need to draw up a plan to limit the non-Embiid factors. The Nets still don’t have enough to take the series, but limiting Harden like Erik Spoelstra did last postseason will go a long way. Still, if Embiid continues to average 35 points a night, kiss any chance of the Nets winning the series goodbye.

If Philly somehow loses this series, all hell will break loose in Sixers’ land. Heads will roll, the roster will implode, and phase two of ‘The Process’ will ensue. Luckily, the Nets don’t have enough firepower to do the job. With Brooklyn going under .500 since the Durant trade, the Sixers should look ahead to their probable matchup with the Boston Celtics in the next round.

• Total Games: 5 (+195)
• Series Exact Order: G1. PHI G2. PHI G3. PHI G4. BKN G5. PHI (+700)

I don’t see this series returning to Brooklyn for a second time. The series to go five games is my favorite play, as the Nets could steal one at home on the back of a huge Mikal Bridges performance.