Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Preview
While the NCAA tournament may be on a break Tuesday, the NBA is full of action. One intriguing matchup pits East versus West as the Philadelphia 76ers (30-13) take on the Golden State Warriors (22-21). The Warriors will host this one at the Chase Center, with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 pm ET.
Philadelphia comes into this one on the heels of a 101-100 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday. In the victory, Shake Milton led them in scoring with 21 points. Philadelphia is still clinging to the top seed in the East, albeit by just a single game over the Brooklyn Nets.
After having won two in a row, the Warriors lost their last matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, 111-103. In the loss, Jordan Poole led all Warriors with 26 points. The Warriors currently sit in ninth in the Western Conference, a game behind the Dallas Mavericks.
Philadelphia is the favorite in this one. They are -148 to win while the Warriors’ moneyline is +126. The spread features the Warriors’ +3 while the over/under for total points is 216.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, Philadelphia has been the stronger of the two teams. They currently rank 6th in the NBA, averaging 115.1 points per game. The Warriors rank 14th averaging 112.9 points per game.
Defensively, it is once again the 76ers who hold the advantage. They rank 7th in the league allowing an average of 109.7 points per game. The Warriors fall to 21st overall, allowing 113.1 points per game, although they have allowed just 102.7 over their last three games.
Philadelphia Fights For Top Spot While Embiid Is Out
As a result of a knee injury, Joel Embiid has missed the past several games and will once again miss Tuesday night’s game. In spite of his absence, they are hoping to fend off the Brooklyn Nets for the top spot in the East.
With Embiid out, the top players for the 76ers are Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons. Harris is averaging 20.7 points on 50.8% shooting. He is also averaging 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
For Simmons, he is averaging 15.9 points on 56.7% shooting while also chipping in 8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
Other contributors include Shake Milton (13.9 points, 3.1 assists), Seth Curry (12.9 points, 2.9 assists), and Danny Green (9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds). Unfortunately, Seth Curry is out for Tuesday’s game with a knee injury.
Warriors Hoping For Push To The Playoffs
The Warriors are certainly in the chase when it comes to a playoff spot, but injuries are not helping. Already without Klay Thompson this season, the loss of Steph Curry is devastating. He has been day to day but is ruled out for this one. Still, the Warriors will still try to claw and scratch their way to a playoff spot even if they are shorthanded.
Without Curry, the leading scorer for the Warriors is Andrew Wiggins. On the season, the forward has averaged 17.8 points on 47% shooting. He is also adding 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and a steal per night.
Other notable contributors include Kelly Oubre Jr. (14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds), rookie James Wiseman (11.8 points, six rebounds), and Jordan Poole (10.4 points).
Depending On Injuries, Taking Philadelphia To Win
If Steph Curry was healthy, this could be a very interesting matchup. However, with Curry ruled out for Tuesday’s game, there just isn’t a whole lot to like for Golden State.
Granted, Philadelphia will also be without star Joel Embiid, but they still have star power in Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. That star power alone is enough for me to take the 76ers over the depleted Warriors. Take 76ers -3.
