Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers have abandoned tanking. Maybe they’re committed to expediting their rebuild. Maybe they’ll even add some talent over the offseason. But that doesn’t matter. None of it. The Sixers are so far gone, that even a renewed devotion to improving drastically and quickly holds little weight. They are, in many ways, a basketball bettor’s nightmare. You know they’re bad, but that knowledge doesn’t mean much unless you’re betting only moneylines. Betting Sixers moneylines, for the record, isnt all that appealing by itself.
The odds are seldom lucrative unless you’re betting in their favor, and they’re seldom, if ever, favorites themselves.
It’s best to just avoid the Sixers altogether. Granted, if a game comes along you think they can win, then throwing some coin down on the moneyline has its advantages.
Still, those moneyline bets are lucrative for a reason. The Sixers are that bad, and thus that unlikely to win.
Who Do The Philadelphia 76ers Play Next
Take a look at the Sixers’ next opponent. Once you see the moneylines, spreads, overs and unders, decide which bet is right for you by looking at how the Sixers stack up with this particular foe. Comparing play styles and rosters will give you a solid foundation to bet with.
Philadelphia 76ers Game Schedule
Here you have the Sixers’ schedule in its entirety. Use it to look ahead and find games on which you’d like to bet. Lines won’t be availble too far advance, but you can judge the matchup based on the Sixers’ opponent and their play style until you grab official odds. It’ll make things worlds easier on game day.
This is also an extremley useful resource when trying to survive individual game bets.
Scroll back through the Sixers’ schedule to see how they fared against certain opponents and particular lines. How are they at home? How about on the road? How do they play against fast teams? What about slow ones?
Has the over or under been a better play lately? What types of spreads have they covered? Which teams have they beaten?
Answering those types of questions will help you concoct a betting blueprint for any game the Sixers are playing, regardless of their opponent or sportsbooks odds.
Philadelphia 76ers Standings Today
Take in a snapshot of the Sixers’ standing within the Eastern Conference. It’s of minimal use to you for now, as you neither need it to track their playoff hopes or lottery odds.
They are light years outside the postseason picture and have the league’s worst record by far. If you find a sportsbook that is willing to take prop bets on where they’ll land inside the draft lottery, go crazy. Otherwise, avoid any Sixers futures like the plague.
Waiting for the Sixers to Settle on a Direction
Sixers futures are, as you should know by now, off the table. Worse, there is no timeline for when you can resume those types of bets. At minimum, it'll be three seasons, though probably more. In the meantime, you're free to continue surfing the over and under wave, hoping the Sixers eventually emerge as a consistent betting play in some respect.
You'll know they're headed in such a direction when they clear up the roster's frontcourt logjams and start to assemble a core of players that actually complements one another.
Joel Embiid, who has yet to make his NBA debut, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor cannot be on the same roster. All of them are best suited at the center position, and not one of them can be an effective full-time power forward. Even if one of them can make the switch, Dario Saric will come stateside soon, and he's most effective at the 4 spot.
Two of Embiid, Noel and Okafor have to go. This matter will become dire if the Sixers win the lottery and take Ben Simmons. Though LSU used him as a small forwad, he is a power forward in the NBA. If this happens, the Sixers will need to deal three of Embiid, Noel, Okafor, Saric and Simmons before they can chart a permanent course.
Once this logjam is cleared up, you'll be free to dabble in some Sixers futures. Win total bets are also stellar plays if you notice the roster is noticeabley upgraded or downgraded. The division, conference and championship odds, however, will still have to wait a long time. The Sixers need to hold a position of power for at least two consecutive seasons before you start pinning them to those conversations. Bet on them in this way anytime sooner, even if it feels better than expected, and you're more likely to get burned.
How To Make Money Betting On Philadelphia 76ers
If you're someone who wants to avoid moneylines but still bet on the Sixers, you'll need to vacillate between overs and unders. The absence of a defensive or offensive specialty makes the Sixers' scores especially difficult to predict, yet because they're so unbelievably bad on both ends of the floor, you can detect certain patterns.
When the Sixers are playing a strong defensive team—particularly slow paced squads—roll with the under. Philly's offense is solvable, and snail-like paces drum down scoring by default.
Conversely, when they play efficient offensive teams that run with a ton of pace, try bathing in the over waters. The Sixers are sloppy when they play faster than normal, and the defense doesn't have the chops this season to bog down potent point piling machines.