With an exhilarating win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night, the Sixers officially finished out the pre-all-star break portion of their schedule. They now have 24 games remaining, and sit in 3rd place in a packed Eastern Conference. Currently 5 teams are within 2.5 games of first place, and even though the Sixers are getting a super star addition in James Harden following this weekend off, they still have work to do to finish out the regular season and begin their playoff push. Thanks to FanDuel Sportsbook, we have some of the latest numbers on some interesting Sixers bets, and what they mean for the team as they finish out the final couple months of the NBA season:
NBA Atlantic Division Winner:
Let’s start with the lowest level future wager available, who will win the Atlantic Division. The Philadelphia 76ers are the odds on favorite at -195, which is a great sign for the team’s success at least for the rest of the regular season. Here’s how the full odds shake out:
Sixers -195
Celtics +320
Raptors +700
Nets +1200
Knicks +24000
The most interesting thing besides the Sixers being nearly -200 favorites is that the Nets, who supposedly got significantly better and “won” the Harden trade according to some national media members, have the 2nd to worst odds in the division at +1200. Very interesting indeed.
NBA Eastern Conference Winner:
Now, moving on to the conference. The Sixers haven’t won the East since 2001, but they’re in prime position to compete for that honor this season. They aren’t the favorite, but they are near the top of the list in odds to represent the East in the finals. Here are the numbers:
Bucks +260
Nets +300
Sixers +330
Heat +550
Celtics +1100
Bulls +1500
Cavs +3000
Despite beating the Bucks last night, it’s understandable why they would be the favorite to win the conference; they’re the defending NBA champions, and Giannis is still Giannis. What is strange is that oddsmakers love the Nets in the playoffs despite them having long odds to win their own division. Maybe they haven’t seen what Ben Simmons looks like in the playoffs, but it’s awfully wishful thinking. The Sixers odds at +330 put them as one of the 3 teams with a real shot according to the numbers, while some top seeded teams right now in the Bulls and Cavs are +1500 and +3000 respectively. Looks like a 3 team race to me.
NBA MVP:
Ok, before we get to our good buddy Larry O, let’s peek at the NBA MVP odds as they stand heading into the all-star break. No surprise, Joel Embiid is the favorite right now to take home the award, but how big of a favorite is he?
Joel Embiid +145
Nikola Jokic +300
Giannis Antetokounmpo +360
Stephen Curry +1200
Embiid hasn’t yet made it to a minus next to his number, but he is clearly the most likely to take home the award despite some of the other great seasons being had across the NBA. Some stat nerds would have you believe that Nikola Jokic is close to overtaking Embiid, but the odds say that it is still the Sixers big man’s to lose. The addition of James Harden could affect this post-all-star break, but right now, signs are pointing to Embiid becoming the first Sixer to win the award since Allen Iverson in 2001.
NBA Champion:
There are only 5 teams by the current odds that seem to have a solid shot of taking home an NBA championship in 2022. The Sixers are in fact one of them, however they may come in a little bit lower than fans may want to see:
Warriors +460
Suns +460
Bucks +550
Nets +600
Sixers +650
So there it is, 5th best odds to win the NBA Finals. The Warriors and Suns being tied at the top shouldn’t be a surprise; the two Western Conference juggernauts have clearly separated themselves so far this year. The Bucks are the defending champions; it’s hard to argue with them in that 3rd spot. My only beef is the love for the Nets. They are a talented team, but the locker room has been in rough shape all year and an 11 game losing streak that was just snapped for them shows that they are a flawed team. The Sixers aren’t perfect, but they have one of the better chances in the NBA to win it all. At this point in the year, considering everything they’ve gone through, I think we’ll take that.