The Sixers are in a position that they didn’t really expect to be in heading back home for Game 5. Most expected this series to end in a sweep but an injury to Joel Embiid has seen things change with the Wizards taking Game 4. Can the Sixers win without their big man or will the Wizards do what they’ve done for the last two months and fight tooth and nail to extend their season?
Wednesday, June 02, 2021 – 07:00 PM EDT at Wells Fargo Center
It would be very dangerous for the Sixers to lose Game 5 tonight and have to head back to Washington for a pivotal Game 6. The only good that could possibly come from it is more time for Embiid to heal but the truth is, the playoffs, you can’t think like that. There is no time for taking wins for granted and when you have an opponent down, you need to keep them there. I expect Doc Rivers to have his team hyper focused on winning this game at home tonight.
The Sixers opened as 6.5 point favorites with some sharp action on the Wizards moving the line slightly to -6. The truth is, the Sixers are still the better team, even without Embiid. The issue for them is that their offense without him can be very inconsistent so they will need to rely on their defense which can get tricky against the Wizards. It’s also tricky to ask the Sixers to rely on defense without Embiid, one of the league’s best rim protectors. The Sixers have another Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Ben Simmons and the truth is, he will have to take a bigger role on both ends of the floor.
We know Simmons is never going to score a ton of points but when Embiid has been out in the past is when Sixers fans usually see the best version of Ben Simmons. Without Embiid, he has way more room to drive to the basket or post up and be a playmaker from down low which he does very well. I think without Embiid, the Sixers also play up in pace which is why I think the Over is the play in this spot.
Some might think that without Embiid the Sixers are likely to score less which is very possible. The reason I think the over 229.5 is the play here is that without Embiid, I think the Sixers are forced to get out in transition more and get easy baskets. Without Embiid, their half court offense is significantly worse. There’s also the fact that the Wizards will score more without Embiid on the court.
It’s no coincidence that the Wizards best offensive performances of this series have come in Game 1 when Embiid got in foul trouble and Game 4 when he got hurt. The Wizards may not be the best team but they are a confident bunch led by two players that play hard every single night. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook will most definitely be coming into this game thinking they can win here with Embiid out. The Sixers need to take care of business tonight or their quest for an NBA championship might get complicated before they even get out of round one.
NBA pick: Wizards Over 229.5 at (-112) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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