The Golden State Warriors have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA, which is why they’re now favored to win the Western Conference in the sportsbook.
On Saturday, they’ll face a team who has been one of the league’s biggest surprises in a negative way: the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philly was hoping to maintain their spot as an Eastern Conference contender but at 14-12, they are barely in a playoff spot. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup for NBA game betting purposes.
Game: Golden State Warriors (21-4) at Philadelphia 76ers (14-12)
Location: Wells Fargo Center
Day/Time: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Television: Local Broadcast
Golden State Warriors at Philadelphia 76ers
Are The Warriors In A ‘Slump?’
The Warriors started the season like they were shot out of a cannon but is it fair to ask if they’re in a slump right now? The team that lost just twice in their first 20 games has now lost twice in their last five.
The Warriors don’t really have that much to worry about right now as their 21-4 record is tied for the best in the NBA. And remember, they don’t have Klay Thompson in the lineup yet.
Golden State is getting the job done thanks to MVP-caliber contributions from Steph Curry. He’s pouring in 27.5 points per game, which is the second-best mark in the NBA.
The big difference over season is that he’s getting great support from the cast. Andrew Wiggins is contributing 18.5 points per outing while Jordan Poole is chipping in 18.0 as well.
Those who bet online have noticed how different this team has been at the other end of the court too. The Warriors are the best team in the NBA in terms of points per game allowed; they were 24th in the category last season.
76ers Struggling To Find Identity
The Philadelphia 76ers still can’t figure out what to do with Ben Simmons. While the All-Star guard was an albatross in the playoffs, hampering the team with his terrible shooting, he’s now an albatross in the regular season too.
With Simmons out, the 76ers are missing his raw athleticism, defense, and point guard skills. He’s lost more than $6 million in salary by missing games and the team can’t find a trading partner for him.
The latest are some talks with the Portland Trail Blazers but the fact that those dominate the airwaves more so than what the team is doing on the court spokes volumes.
The 76ers do have a little bit of momentum right now, though, winning three of their last four. The loss was a brutal 22-point beatdown at home to the Utah Jazz on Thursday, so it’s hard to gauge just where this team is at.
Warriors Should Roll Through Philadelphia
It’s hard to trust the 76ers in this spot. Sure, they’ve won three of four but two of the wins were against the Charlotte Hornets and one was a two-point squeaker against the Atlanta Hawks. Those teams are among the 10 worst defenses in the league.
Now the 76ers face the Warriors, who are the best team in the NBA overall and the best defensive team. Philadelphia is only 19th in points per game, so they could labor to score here.
