76ers vs Nets Odds, Spread and Picks

• The 76ers visit the Nets on Thursday, December 30th
• Kevin Durant returns to the Brooklyn lineup after a 14-day absence due to COVID
• Read on for the odds, preview, and prediction

It’s the battle of two Eastern Conference rivals on Thursday as the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets go toe to toe at the Barclays Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm ET.

Philly beat the Raptors on Tuesday night behind a 36-point performance from big man Joel Embiid, while the Nets completed the LA sweep, beating the Lakers and Clippers, despite missing superstar and MVP frontrunner Kevin Durant.

However, KD cleared COVID-19 protocols earlier this week and will return to the lineup for Thursday’s contest.

76ers vs Nets Odds

Odds as of December 29th at DraftKings

These two teams actually met two weeks ago and Brooklyn cruised to a 114-105 victory, thanks to a 34-piece from Durant. The Nets are a 3.5-point home favorite and have gone 14-17-1 overall ATS.

As for the Sixers, they’re just above .500 as ATS underdogs, posting a 9-8 record.

Philly Finding a Groove?

The 76ers aren’t having the best season, currently sitting in sixth spot in the East at 18-16. However, Doc Rivers’ squad is starting to play a lot better lately, winning three of their last four and looking to extend their two-game winning streak on Thursday against the conference-best Nets.

Although the Raptors were slightly depleted, Philly managed to pull out a solid win on Tuesday. Overall, it was actually a very efficient offensive performance from the rotation, with Embiid dropping 36 points for the second-straight contest.

Five different players finished in double-digits in scoring, with Tobias Harris notching his first career triple-double.

Shooting the three has been a struggle for the Sixers, despite having guys who can typically make it rain. As a team, they’re draining just 34.9% of their triples, which is 15th in the league.

📸 pics from The Six. pic.twitter.com/7F1lpmkAlo

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 29, 2021

However, against Toronto, Philadelphia came alive from long range, going 14-for-30. Georges Niang went 5-for-8, while Seth Curry also shot the ball extremely well. This contest was relatively even, but the clear difference-maker was the 76ers’ ability to make clutch shots.

Philly is actually excelling more on the road this season, compiling a 12-8 record. They will be missing Andre Drummond, Shake Milton, and Danny Green once again though, as all three are still in the league’s health and safety protocols.

KD Back

The Nets just pulled off a pair of impressive wins without Durant and still manage to sit comfortably at the top of the East. Aside from KD being available to suit up here, Kyrie Irving also cleared protocols and will likely make his season debut in the next week or so, depending on conditioning. He will only be playing in road games due to his vaccination status.

Kyrie and Durant getting some shots up. 🔥

pic.twitter.com/qHvt8SRVaZ

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 30, 2021

Brooklyn is just getting over a brutal outbreak from the virus and actually had three games postponed last week because they didn’t have enough players available. Therefore, Steve Nash’s group missed Durant for a total of three games, going 2-1 during that span.

The Clippers were already shorthanded on Monday with Paul George injured and the Nets took it to them, defeating them by 16. James Harden showed out for a game-high 38, while Patty Mills and Nicolas Claxton dropped 18 apiece.

Mills has stepped up heavily as of late, torching the Lakers for 34 on Christmas. The Aussie has been lights out from deep, shooting a ridiculous 44%.

Brooklyn absolutely demolished the Clips in the paint, outscoring them 74-38. They also shot an impressive 57% from the field. Basically, everything was landing. At last, the Nets have a full-strength squad for Thursday after a difficult couple of weeks, with the exception of Irving.

76ers vs Nets Prediction

With Durant back in the mix, I don’t see the Sixers standing a chance. His last game was against Philly and he destroyed them for almost 40 points. Expect another big performance from the veteran, with the rest of the Nets rotation continuing to thrive. Take Brooklyn to cover.

Pick: Nets -3.5 (-115)