NBA Playoffs 2022/23, on Tuesday, 04/18/2023
My first 76ers Nets tip of this Best of 7 Series hit right on the mark. And my present Game 2 prediction also has the goal of forcing sports bettors to pay out significant winnings.
In my research, I found some great free bets, but not one good argument why the New York Islanders should manage to put on a much better performance than they did in the opener.
Philadelphia won quite confidently 121-101, without the victory ever really seeming to be in danger.
As expected, Joel Embiid proved to be too strong in the 1-on-1 against Nic Claxton, who let himself be pushed in front of him by the brawny center of the Sixers like an empty shopping cart in the supermarket.
The Cameroonian scored the most PHI points with 26, but it was certainly not a one-man show. Indeed, James Harden (23), Tobias Harris (21) as well as the bench players provided an all-around convincing team performance for the 76ers.
In fact, I think the Nets were well served with their 101-121 loss and reached the upper end of their performance limit. That can be seen quite clearly in the data.
Because with a field-goal-percentage of 55.7 to 47.2 the throws of the New Yorkers were more precise than those of the Sixers. The reasons why Philadelphia was able to win easily in the end, however, are more structural in nature and cannot simply be remedied the following night.
The Nets collected nine fewer offensive rebounds and caused 11 more turnovers than the Sixers. In addition, the 76ers defense has been extremely attentive with an incredible 14 steals.
The Nets thus lost the game not so much at the board, but rather in the game-building phase. Firstly, because they have big problems to run the ball safely in their lines and secondly, because the 76ers defense is extremely attentive.
In addition, Joel Embiid continues to be a problem for which the New Yorkers have no answer. With only 7 of his 15 converted attempts, the Cameroonian was not as accurate as usual.
But if Embiid has already scored 26 points on a bad night, a corresponding Bet365 sports bet on the center’s individual performance could pay off tonight. After all, I wouldn’t put it past him to hit the 30 mark in Game 2.
Mikal Bridges had a surprisingly strong game for the Nets with 30 points, but the New Yorkers simply lack seasoned superstars after the big sellout in February, who can take a team like this by the hand even in difficult moments.
After all, a Spencer Dinwiddie couldn’t find an opportunity to make an impact against the 76ers’ solid defense in a 1-on-1.
But that’s exactly the kind of outstanding individual performance the Nets would need to prevail against a team that is superior to them in all respects and is now preparing to win its fifth duel of the season against BKN.
The 76ers have now won each of their five season duels against the Nets and the visitors are not expected to turn that trend upside down tonight.
After all, as long as the Series is still in Philadelphia and the 76ers haven’t carved out a comfortable lead, don’t count on a close win.
The German bettors also seem to be of the same opinion, as they have called very similar 76ers Nets odds as they did for Game 1 last weekend.
Accordingly, the home side will enter the race with win odds averaging 1.20 to 4.50. Here it is a good idea to look for specific odds boosts to push the payout a bit higher.
So what can we expect from Game 2? Pretty much the same as Game 1, but I could imagine New York scoring even less than 100 points this time.
Furthermore, Embiid will once again dominate his counterpart Claxton on the five. But of course, the 76ers’ steal-happy defense, which will once again provide enormous pressure, will be crucial for success.
Brooklyn will once again show that they lack a ball-secure player for the build-up to the game. Because exactly this type of player BKN doesn’t have (anymore), which is why the number of turnovers should be in the double digits again …
My PHI BKN tip: Sixers win at HC -5.5.
