Free Picks: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Alex Murray
By: Alex Murray
04/16/2021
NBA Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
76ers vs Clippers NBA
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, NBA, Wells Fargo Center

The Los Angeles Clippers will finish off a three-game road trip when they set up shop in the City of Brotherly Love on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both of these teams are expected to make serious pushes towards the final prize this season, so seeing how they size each other up will be very interesting, especially if all of the top players are present for the hand.

Clippers And 76ers Meet As Both Teams Near Full Health (Season Betting Record: 82-88)

Like basically every other team in the NBA this season, both the Clippers and the 76ers have had injury issues to deal with in the past couple of months. Philly had to go without Joel Embiid—who was an MVP candidate at the time of his injury—for 10 games after he suffered what seemed to be a serious knee hyperextension a few weeks ago.

Thankfully for his team, Embiid didn’t suffer any serious damage, and he has picked up right where he left off before the injury. While Embiid is back for the Sixers, Tobias Harris is now on the injury report and very uncertain to play on Friday. Harris isn’t a loss as significant as Embiid, but he’s still an important source of scoring and spacing for Philly, who sorely need spacing considering their two top players rarely threatening from outside.

The Clippers, meanwhile, have had their own ailments. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have been in and out of the lineup basically all season. The only consistent thing about their appearances is that they have been inconsistent. George, however, is pretty sure to be good to go for this clash with the Sixers, and Leonard could be ready to roll as well.

They have been without Serge Ibaka, who is dealing with a back issue, for some time, so they have figured out how to deal with that absence. Considering the caliber of this opponent, we would think that Leonard will lace them up on Friday night, and when both George and Leonard play, the Clippers are 27-9 straight up this season.

It’s honestly strange to see the Clippers listed as such heavy underdogs against an Eastern Conference team, even if it is the cream of the crop. That’s why we like the Clips to cover their +4.5 NBA point spread at pleasant -118 NBA odds as one of our best bets for today.

Apart from a pair of games against the Lakers and a game against the Nuggets in January where Philly had just eight players, the Sixers have gone 3-7 ATS against the top eight teams in the Western Conference, not to mention a 2-5 ATS mark in their last seven contests against all West Coast opponents.

The Sixers have also dropped their last four straight games at home against the spread while the Clippers have come away triumphant both straight up and ATS in their past four games on the road. Tyronn Lue’s boys have also been top notch when they’re on a regular schedule, boasting a 22-14-1 ATS mark on a single days’ rest this season (fifth in the NBA) and an 18-11-1 ATS record when playing a team on equal rest (fourth).

It is also worth mentioning that PG is coming into this contest on a certified heater. The man that went through all of it during last season’s Orlando bubble has been having a stellar bounce back season, and his most recent stretch has been arguably the best of his career.

George has been darn near unstoppable over the past week and a half, putting up 34.3 points per game on 55 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent shooting from downtown over his past four outings. That scoring volume is his second highest over a four-game span since December of 2015, and he’s certainly in range to tie his career high of five straight games of 30+ points on Friday night.

That’s all before mentioning that George has owned his counterpart on the Sixers, Ben Simmons, in head to head matchups. George has won four of five clashes while putting up 24.2 points per game in those games, so we also like him to cover the over on his 24.5 points prop at standard -125 NBA odds as another of our top picks.

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Los Angeles Clippers +4.5 Point Spread
-118
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Paul George Over 24.5 Points
-125

Stats

  • Los Angeles is 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 games
  • Los Angeles has won the last two meetings SU and ATS
  • Philadelphia is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games vs. the Western Conference
  • Paul George has scored 34.3 points per game over his past four outings

Alex is an alumnus of Ryerson University's RTA Sport Media program, a contributing NHL, NBA, and MLB writer in the BetPicks.ca team. He has been writing on sports, betting, and fantasy contests for several years, including pitstops as an NFL Editor for theScore and as one of the lead NBA news writers for fantasy sports site FantasyPros. As a lifelong athlete, bettor, and sports fan, Alex is uniquely qualified to help you reach the sports betting success that you've always dreamed of and your wife never believed you could achieve.

NBA - East Standings

 

NBA LogoTeamWLPCT
1Heat5329.646
2Celtics5131.622
3Bucks5131.622
476ers5131.622
5Raptors4834.585
6Bulls4636.561
7Nets4438.537
8Hawks4339.524
9Cavaliers4438.537
10Hornets4339.524
11Knicks3745.451
12Wizards3547.427
13Pacers2557.305
14Pistons2359.280
15Magic2260.268

 

NBA - West Standings

 

NBA LogoTeamWLPCT
1Suns6418.780
2Grizzlies5626.683
3Warriors5329.646
4Mavericks5230.634
5Jazz4933.598
6Nuggets4834.585
7Wolves4636.561
8Pelicans3646.439
9Clippers4240.512
10Spurs3448.415
11Lakers3349.402
12Kings3052.366
13Blazers2755.329
14Thunder2458.293
15Rockets2062.244

 

NBA Key Dates

2021-2022 Season
Regular season beginsOctober 19
NBA All-Star 2022February 18-20
Regular season concludesApril 10
Play-In TournamentApril 12-1517
Playoffs beginApril 16
NBA Finals beginJune 2
Game 7 of NBA FinalsJune 19
NBA DraftJune 23