With two superstars out, the Under could be the right NBA pick for Tuesday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors
at Chase Center
Generally speaking, the Philadelphia 76ers (30-13 SU, 24-17-2 ATS) are doing just fine without Joel Embiid. They’ve won four of five games at 3-1-1 ATS since Embiid went on the shelf with a bone bruise in his left knee. Unfortunately, their one ATS loss was last Tuesday, when I put Philly in my NBA picks as 6-point home favorites against the New York Knicks. Final score: Knicks 96, Sixers 99. Can’t win ‘em all.
New York almost did it again on Sunday, extending the Sixers to overtime before losing 101-100 as 1-point home dogs. Maybe it’ll be safe to bet on Philadelphia now that they’re done with the Knicks; however, there are quite a few unknowns heading into this Tuesday’s tilt with the Golden State Warriors (22-21 SU, 21-22 ATS). The NBA odds are off the board at press time, presumably because Stephen Curry is day-to-day with a bruised tailbone. This just in: Curry has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game. That will definitely have some impact on the final result.
Green Curry, Hold The Curry
There are more question marks where that came from. Draymond Green (plus-0.6 VORP) is officially listed as questionable after spraining his left ankle during Saturday’s 111-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies (–6.5 at home), although Green did return to that game after leaving in the third quarter. Golden State desperately need Green’s services while Curry (plus-3.1 VORP) is out, especially if Eric Paschall (minus-0.2 VORP) and James Wiseman (minus-0.4 VORP) have to spend one more game on the COVID-19 list. They’re eligible to play Tuesday if they’re cleared as expected.
Meanwhile, there’s another Curry who’ll be on the sidelines this Tuesday. Seth Curry (plus-0.2 VORP) is out for the Sixers with a sprained left ankle; Stephen’s younger brother is Philadelphia’s best 3-point shooter at 43.2 percent, and their offense won’t have quite as much spacing without him in uniform – one of the big reasons Philly remain on top of the Eastern Conference. Sunday’s game against the Knicks went Under 211 points despite going to overtime. Could the same thing happen on Tuesday?
Absolutely. This will be the third straight game that the elder Curry has missed for Golden State; the first two, both against the Grizzlies, went Under. There’s simply no replacing Curry in the Warriors offense. Green can direct things as a point forward, and they can get buckets from Andrew Wiggins (plus-0.3 VORP) and Kelly Oubre Jr (minus-0.1 VORP), but Curry can do all that with much greater efficiency. We’ll recommend a small bet on the Under for now while the NBA lines are pending; bet accordingly, and enjoy the game.
NBA Pick: Under 216½ -110 with BetMGM
