Philadelphia 76ers vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction & Player Props (1/29): Will Ayton and Maxey Benefit From Embiid’s Absence?

While the first of tonight’s two nationally-televised NBA matchups is one featuring two of the best teams in the league, the other one doesn’t have that distinction, as the Philadelphia 76ers, sans Joel Embiid (knee) once again, will visit the Portland Trail Blazers (10:00 pm ET, NBA TV).

While Embiid (36.0 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 5.8 APG) has been playing at a level that would be worthy of being named NBA MVP for a second straight season, he is trending towards ineligibility for the award. Tonight will be his 12^th missed game of the season, and the maximum he can miss to be eligible for award honors is 17 games.

Of course, there are bigger fish to fry than individual honors, and with Embiid an invaluable piece of the Sixers’ hopes of moving past the second round of the NBA playoffs, his long-term health is more important than being able to play 65 regular season games.

The Sixers certainly wouldn’t be able to survive without him in the postseason, but will they be able to survive without him tonight against Portland? The Trail Blazers just played last night, but according to their trends for the season, that might actually make them a more favorable betting option tonight.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Portland Trail Blazers Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our BetOnline review.

Spread

• Philadelphia 76ers -8.5 (-115)
• Portland Trail Blazers +8.5 (-105)

Over/Under

• Over 221.5 (-110)
• Under 221.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Philadelphia 76ers -360
• Portland Trail Blazers +290

Last Five Games for the Philadelphia 76ers

• Denver Nuggets (1/27 – away): lost 111-105
• Indiana Pacers (1/25 – away): lost 134-122
• San Antonio Spurs (1/22 – home): won 133-123
• Charlotte Hornets (1/20 – away): won 97-89
• Orlando Magic (1/19 – away): won 124-109

Last Five Games for the Portland Trail Blazers

• Chicago Bulls (1/28 – home): lost 104-96
• San Antonio Spurs (1/26 – away): lost 116-100
• Houston Rockets (1/24 – away): won 137-131 (OT)
• Oklahoma City Thunder (1/13 – away): lost 111-109
• Los Angeles Lakers (1/21 – away): lost 134-110

Philadelphia 76ers vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction and Picks

76ers vs Trail Blazers Betting Analysis and Prediction

While the Blazers are having about the season you would expect, they have been somewhat respectable, relatively speaking, in the scenario they are in tonight against the 76ers.

Unless there is major line movement in the hours before tip, this will be the 30^th time this season that Portland is an underdog of 10 or fewer points.

In the first 29 instances, they are 10-19 SU and 13-16 ATS, which means that they are 3-14 SU and 8-9 ATS when an underdog by more than 10 points.

At home, they are 6-9 SU and 7-8 ATS when a dog of 10 or fewer points, but since starting 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in this scenario, they had won and covered in four straight until last night’s loss to the Bulls.

A quick turnaround and having to play one of the better teams in the league would appear to be a tough task, even with Embiid out, but the Blazers are 5-3 SU and 6-2 on no rest this season.

Does that mean that they are worth a look tonight? The 76ers have had a lot of success this season when favored by eight or more points, going 14-2 SU and 10-6 ATS, and even with both Embiid and Tyrese Maxey out at Denver, they more than held their own against the Nuggets at Ball Arena.

However, they are 3-8 SU without Embiid, and the Blazers should fancy their chances of competing well enough to cover the spread even if they lose.

Prediction: Trail Blazers to cover

Best Player Props for 76ers vs Trail Blazers

All picks listed below are courtesy of BetOnline and Bovada. Bet these plays at Bovada and get a 75% WELCOME BONUS if your first deposit is via cryptocurrency and/or bet them at BetOnline and get a 100% BONUS on your first cryptocurrency deposit.

DeAndre Ayton over 10.5 rebounds (-125 at Bovada) and over 25.5 points + rebounds (-120 at Bovada)

In his last three games, Ayton has put up big numbers. He went for 18 points and 17 rebounds at Houston, 20 and 12 at San Antonio, and 22 and 12 against the Bulls last night. With no Embiid to contend with inside, Ayton should have another productive night.

Tyrese Maxey over 3.5 made threes (+112 at BetOnline)

Maxey is averaging only 23.3 PPG in seven Monday games this season, which makes Mondays his least prolific scoring day.

However, the only day in which he is better from three both in terms of made threes per game and shooting percentage is Sunday (three games).

On Mondays, he is averaging 3.9 made threes per game and shooting 42.2% from outside. Sunday (5.7 made threes per game at a clip of 56.7%) is the only other day on which he is hitting 40% or more on his triples.

With Embiid sidelined, Maxey will be the first option on the offensive end, so we should see him fire away from deep early and often.

Where to Bet on the NBA

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NBA odds throughout the year.

In addition to being able to bet on 2024 NBA championship odds, you can make daily NBA picks on odds for every game all season long, including NBA playoffs odds.

Also, you can bet on the All-Star Game, NBA Draft odds, and the major awards like NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, and more at most reputable sports betting sites.

There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NBA betting. Here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetDSI (review)
• BetUS (review)
• Bookmaker (review)
• Bovada (review)
• MyBookie (review)
• Sportsbetting.ag (review)

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Interested in Learning More About NBA Betting?

Looking to learn more about the ins and outs of betting on the NBA? Check out our NBA betting guide. Also, if you’d like to learn more about NBA player prop bets, check out our NBA player props guide.