The banged-up Philadelphia 76ers square off against the Houston Rockets in the season finale for both teams. Philly heads into their final game completely depleted. Ben Simmons is gone for the season, and Joel Wmbiid is day to day with a wrist injury. Embiid is doubtful for Friday nights contest.
The Rockets come in with PJ Tucker day-to-day with a hand injury. Their most significant loss will come in the form of Russell Westbrook not playing. He will miss Friday to rest up for playoff basketball, which both of these teams participate in.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:05 ET for this seeding game finale.
Rough Stretch
The Sixers have had a pretty tough go of it since the NBA’s return. Between fighting, injuries, or just their 3-4 record, it has not been great. Regardless of the outcome of this game, they’re scheduled to start their playoff run against the Boston Celtics on Monday.
This makes it highly unlikely that anyone who’s banged up or bruised sees any minutes on Friday. Regardless of who’s on the floor, though, you can bet the lineup will try to play their best basketball against a Rockets team that won’t have Russell Westbrook. They’ll try their best not to back into the playoffs.
Above .500
The Rockets finished just above .500 in their seeding games so far. They went 4-3, bringing their overall record to 44-27. The Western Conference playoff schedule has yet to be set in stone because the Rockets, Thunder, Jazz, and Mavericks can all still change seeds in their final games. The 4-7 spots are all up for grabs.
Without Westbrook, Houston will rely on James Harden and their three-point shooting game. It won’t be the first time they’ve relied on their top scorer, nor will it be the last. It may seem like he’s picking on a group for Philadelphia that is set to be lackluster.
Out the Window
You can throw the betting trends for this season entirely out the window. The season is odd, and there is no home-court advantage. It’s a different league this season. That being said, both of these teams tend to cover the spread. The Rockets are favored by 4.5 in this matchup.
The spread could’ve been even wider with the Sixers playoff spot locked up and the injuries. The pick here has to be the Rockets to win and cover against a tired, depleted group of 76ers. Take the Rockets by -4.5. Good luck.
