If the defending champion Golden State Warriors want to climb back to the top of the Western Conference standings this current road trip would be a good start. The Dubs have had a hard time winning on the road this season and they will be tested during the trek that has them taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in the middle stop of the six-game excursion. This is also the third game in four nights for the Warriors after stops in Milwaukee and Indiana to open the season-long trip. The Dubs started the trip with just two away victories in 13 games.
The contest between the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, December 16, 2022, from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Friday NBA schedule.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Their failure to win on the road has kept the Warriors hovering around .500 much of the season. Heading into a critical six-game Eastern Conference swing the Dubs were just 2-11 SU and a NBA worst 3-10 ATS. This is basically the same team that won two-thirds of its regular season road games and beat Boston twice in the Garden to win the NBA Finals last season. They lost last year in Philadelphia, 102-93, as a 3-point dog and the teams have split the last eight meetings going 4-4 SU and ATS.
Trying to figure out the Sixers is a frustrating endeavor. I can only imagine how fans of the club feel. They string together wins like they did recently taking out Phoenix, Atlanta, Utah and Milwaukee in a five-game span looking like a true title contender only to regress and lose three straight including a setback to the lowly Rockets. Following a three-game SU and ATS skid that dropped them to .500, the Sixers reeled off a pair of wins scoring more than 130 points in each. They enter the week 14-12 SU and 15-11 ATS while cashing the OVER in four straight.
Golden State Warriors
Their last road game prior to this trip was an example of why the Warriors have struggled to win away from home. With a chance to put the game away they failed, coughed up a four-point lead in the final 13 seconds and fell 124-123 to Utah. Not only were the mistakes costly but their inability to play defense was too much to overcome. While their defensive rating of 112.6 puts them in the middle of the pack overall, the Dubs struggle on the road surrendering an average of nearly 123 points, 13 points per game more than what they concede at home. That’s also helped them cash the OVER in two-thirds of their road games.
Offense hasn’t been a problem and the Warriors are making backers some coin going 7-2 ATS after beating the Celtics 123-107 over the weekend. The guys that are supposed to do the scoring did in that game with Steph Curry scoring 32 points and Klay Thompson dropping 34 while combining for 10 three pointers.
Philadelphia 76ers
Maybe the Sixers can find balance and consistency now that James Harden has returned after a month absence. They certainly lit it up in wins over the Lakers and Hornets with Joel Embiid going for 38, De’Anthony Melton 33 and Harden adding 28 in the 133-122 overtime win over LA. It could have been crusher with a late blown lead only to bounce back with a 13-2 OT advantage. A few nights later Embiid, apparently still pissed about not being named the league’s MVP last season, put on a clinic in a 131-113 win over Charlotte.
Topping the 50-point mark for the second time this season, Embiid hit 20 of 32 field goals and all 11 free throws scoring 53 points with 12 rebounds in just over 34 minutes. Harden scored 19 points and dished out 16 assists with the Sixers improving to 2-1 SU and ATS since the Beard returned to the lineup.
NBA Odds Pick
The Warriors in the past have had a hard time defending big men who can score. And that hasn’t changed much this season giving Embiid a chance to have a big game. And the Sixers have been strong defensively holding teams to a league-worst 33.1 percent from behind the arc. They’ll have to step up their game against Curry and Thompson but they are ready for the challenge.
NBA Odds Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers / UNDER
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