Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets Odds and Picks

• Two of the favorites in the Eastern Conference collide on Friday, October, 22nd
• The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers meet at Wells Fargo Center with both teams expected to be missing an All-Star
• Read below for the latest odds, betting preview and a prediction

The Nets and Sixers have been at the center of two of the offseason’s biggest dramas. Attention fortunately turns to on-court matters on Friday, though, as Brooklyn (0-1) heads to Philly to take on the 1-0 76ers.

Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons are not expected to play.

Brooklyn is getting just 1.5 points as favorites. Steve Nash saw his team outplayed by the Milwaukee Bucks on opening night, while the Sixers cruised past the Zion-less Pelicans on Wednesday.

76ers vs Nets Odds

Odds as of Oct 21 at DraftKings

Harden’s Opening Night Woes

It’s not often the Nets will shoot over 53% from three and lose by 23 points. That’s what happened on Tuesday against the Bucks, and James Harden’s performance was a big part of their offensive struggles. The former MVP went 6-for-16 from the field as the Nets struggled from two-point range.

Games like that are where Irving’s absence is felt. Joe Harris, Blake Griffin, Jevon Carter, LaMarcus Aldridge and James Johnson combined to go 5-for-21 from the floor. Even with Patty Mills getting white-hot, the Nets’ offense was blown away by the Bucks.

.@JHarden13 was shook when he and KD made the #NBA75 list 😂pic.twitter.com/HQeVEzuAyP

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 20, 2021

Philly doesn’t have the same firepower as Milwaukee to put in such an overwhelming offensive performance, but Brooklyn still needs more from Harden. Playing without Irving means less margin for error for the rest of the roster, and an off-night from Harden makes them very beatable.

Non-Embiid Sixers

Where the Nets will hope Harden bounces back but can rely on Kevin Durant, the Sixers know what they’ll get from Joel Embiid. Even with the Nets adding size, this is a matchup he should be able to dominate.

Tyrese Maxey, Sixers new starting PG:

20 PTS
7 REB
5 AST
2 3PT
8-14 FG

The Sixers were +23 with Maxey on the floor tonight, the highest on the team. pic.twitter.com/jNp0VumKy5

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 21, 2021

Just as being without Irving challenges the Nets, the Sixers are in a similar spot with Simmons. They are worlds apart in their playstyle, but it’s still a case of missing an All-Star and for all Simmons’ flaws, he has a role to play. At his best, he’s a ruthless transition scorer and creator, an effective offensive rebounder and a good passer.

The Sixers are suddenly very reliant on Tyrese Maxey. He started well against the Pels, but this is a sterner test on a bigger stage. There’s also focus on Tobias Harris, who has to step up as the second option in big games like this. Harris scored 20 on 16 shots against New Orleans, and performed well when he faced the Nets last season.

Joel Embiid (22 points), Furkan Korkmaz (22), Tobias Harris (20) and Tyrese Maxey (20) are the first @sixers quartet to each score 20+ in a season opener. pic.twitter.com/Iuso57vqeK

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 21, 2021

There are matchup issues for Philly on defense without Simmons. Matisse Thybulle played 27 minutes in the season opener and should be in for a lot of possessions guarding Durant. These Sixers should still be a good, if not great, defensive team, but they are incredibly reliant on Embiid putting up big numbers. Brooklyn threw doubles at the MVP runner-up last season, and we can expect more of the same. Will Seth Curry, Danny Green and others hit enough threes for the Sixers to keep up?

Sixers vs Nets Prediction

Philly has an outrageous home record over the last couple of years straight up. They were just 25-17-1 ATS at Wells Fargo in 2020-21, though, and 19-11-1 the year before. They beat Brooklyn at home on both occasions last season, but those circumstances cannot really be compared to this matchup. Brooklyn only had one of their All-Stars in both of those games (Durant didn’t play in either) and the Sixers were at full strength.

Perhaps the Sixers going 4-0-1 as a home underdog last season tempts bettors into backing them on Friday. Maybe a wild Wells Fargo crowd roars them to another underdog win ATS.

Brooklyn is clearly the better team on paper right now. Philly’s offense isn’t going to overpower them in the way Milwaukee did, and Nash can expect much more production from Harden and the non-Mills role players.

The Nets to cover is the best bet here, and that would still be the case all the way up to three or four points.

Pick: Brooklyn Nets -1.5 (-110)