NBA: 76ers and Nets to maintain newfound form
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Backing teams with a record of 10-21 at this stage of the season may not seem the most enticing prospect but both Brooklyn and Philadelphia look to have turned a corner of late.
The 76ers are on a season’s best four-game streak, while the Nets overturned Portland and Cleveland in their last two matches and backing both to cover the spread at almost 3/1 looks to be a safe bet.
Minnesota (16-17) are 4-1 against Philadelphia (12-21) but have struggled on the road of late, going 4-10 from 14 games.
This form has also been evident on trips to the Wells Fargo Center, where the T’Wolves are 1-4 from five against the 76ers.
That the 76ers have home advantage and are on a season-high streak should be enough to convince and when you add in the +7 handicap the hosts look a dead cert.
The turnaround in form is largely down to the performances of Thaddeus Young, who is averaging 26.4ppg in his last seven games – up on his season stats of 18.3ppg.
His shooting has seen the Sixers average 109.8 points per game during their four-game run and another good display here should mean a fifth straight victory for Brett Brown’s men.
This match serves as a warm-up for the forthcoming NBA Global Games fixture between the two sides and while Atlanta (18-16) have had a better campaign so far it is Brooklyn (12-21) who are in the best form.
The Hawks have now lost two on the spin – going down to Golden State and Chicago – and are still waiting for someone to fill the void left by the injured Al Horford.
Without the influential power forward the Georgian’s have seen their points per game and shot percentage take a noticeable dip, the former reading 99.2.
This will play into the hands of the Nets, who look to have turned a corner thanks to the form of Deron Williams.
The three-time All Star top scored with 29 against the Thunder and followed that with 21 against the Cavs.
Brooklyn are 3-1 when Williams scores 20 or more and if they can keep the Hawks below 100 a win looks on the cards here.
Jason Kidd’s men are 0-16 when allowing sides to score 100+ but 12-5 when keeping teams below three digits.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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