Phoenix Suns vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview
Phoenix Suns (41-16 36-21 ATS) at Philadelphia 76ers (39-19 30-25-2 ATS)
The hot Suns, no pun intended, head to the City of Brotherly Love to take on a 76ers’ squad that had their win streak snapped in their last game.
This preview is posted for this Wednesday game before the trends and odds are out and check back, as they will be posted soon.
The Suns have won five of their last six games and are coming off an impressive road win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns are in second place in the Western Conference and they will be a force to deal with in the playoffs, which they have not been to since the 2010 season.
No surprise the Suns are doing so well, as they have balanced ranking third in the league in points allowed per game and seventh in ppg.
The 76ers had won four in a row before a loss in their last game. The team still has the best record in the Eastern Conference, and they are the top team in the most recent ESPN Power Rankings.
Earlier this season in the desert the Suns beat the 76ers 120-111.
Back to Scoring Big
After only putting up 85 points in a bad loss to the San Antonio Spurs the Suns found their scoring in their last game beating the Bucks 128-127 in overtime.
Devin Booker leads the Suns on the season averaging 25.5 ppg and the team has been winning even though in his last four games he has only averaged 18.5 ppg on 34.5% shooting. In the home win over Philly earlier this season Booker went off for 36 points on 60.9% shooting.
Veteran PG Chris Paul (15.6 ppg) is one of the main reasons the Suns have surged this season and after a mini slump he was huge in the last game against Milwaukee with 22 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds.
Second year C Deandre Ayton is averaging a double-double on the season (15.2 ppg 10.8 rpg) and while his scoring has been key for a balanced Phoenix team his defense will be key in this game facing 76ers C Joel Embiid.
The Suns have the best road record in the NBA (18-7) and are the only team in the league that does not have double digit losses on the road.
Offense Slumps In Loss
After averaging 114.8 ppg in winning four in a row the 76ers’ offense was less than impressive in their last game losing at home to the Golden State Warriors 107-96. Philly only shot 39.3% from the floor and the team was without All Star Ben Simmons, who missed the game with an illness and is listed as questionable against the Suns.
Tobias Harris (20.5 ppg) also missed the last game with knee soreness. If he cannot go again the duo of Furkan Korkmaz (9.4 ppg) and Matisse Thybulle (3.9 ppg) will get more minutes at the shooting guard position in a small ball lineup and have to help in the scoring department.
The 76ers have the second best home record in the Eastern Conference and they had won five in a row in their house before the last game.
Prediction
The Suns are surging, and they are coming off a big win in their last game while the 76ers dropped their last game. Philly has a couple of stars questionable in Harris and Simmons, but I think they will go in this Wednesday game with each missing the last game and the team not in action on Tuesday. However, they will get a handful from the confident Suns in this game and while the 76ers may get the W it will be close, which is why Phoenix will cover the spread.
PICK: Suns