Tonight the Houston Rockets travel to the Wells Fargo Center to
take on the Philadelphia 76ers. NBA odds makers have the Sixers as three point
favorites.
Season record (37-28-1 ATS for
57% ATS winners)
NBA free pick on the
Philadelphia 76ers as they take on the Houston Rockets in NBA action set to
start at 7:00 PM ET.
The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off their biggest win of the season
defeating the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls on the road 97-85
installed as 10 1/2 point dogs. Houston is fighting desperately to catch
Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Eastern Conference Playoff
race
A 76er win or a Charlotte loss will secure a 76er playoff spot.
With eight games remaining it is a lock that the 76ers are in the playoffs. It
is nearly equally certain that they will finish sixth in the Eastern Conference
and will be face the three seed in the first round of the playoffs. That
opponent will be either the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat. Boston trails
Chicago by two games and Miami by 2 1/2 games. No top seeded Eastern Conference
team wants to play the 76ers, who have played extraordinarily well over the
past month.
Western Conference Playoff
race
The Western Conference is nearly set with San Antonio hanging on
to a 3 1/2 game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers and a 4 1/2 game lead over the
Dallas Mavericks. The lone remaining
spot is whether Houston can erase a two game deficit to Memphis with
just eight games remaining to the regular season.
Houston took care of business last night as our 5* winner
defeating the New Jersey Nets soundly by the score of 112-87, but now must face
the 76ers tonight. Memphis will be playing Golden State and are heavy favorites
to win. A combination of the expected Rocket loss and a Memphis win would put
the final nail in the coffin for the Rockets and their slim playoff hopes.
Game Situations and
Simulator Projections
The simulator shows high probabilities that Philadelphia will get
between 53 and 57 rebounds in this game, will shoot around 50% for the game,
and will score between 105 to 109 points. In past games the 76ers have done
very well achieving these performance marks while the Rockets have failed
miserably. Note that Philadelphia is 15-4 ATS making 10.6 units per one unit wagered when
they grab 53 to 57 rebounds in a game this season; 28-9 ATS making 18.1 units
per one unit wagered when they score 105 to 109 points in a game over the last
three seasons. Houston is 80-150 ATS losing 85.0 units per one unit wagered
when their opponents make 48% to 51% of their shots in a game since 1996.
Take Philadelphia