Posted at 10:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle +10 -107 BET365 +10 -110 Sportsinteraction +9½ -105 888Sport +9½ -110

Philadelphia +10 over L.A. Clippers

Best Odds: -107 at Pinnacle

3:40 PM EST. The Philadelphia 76ers are finally healthy, that is, except for the reigning MVP, who hopes to return before the playoffs start. But the 76ers need to make it to the postseason first, and right now things are looking a little dicey. Philadelphia sits in the 8th spot in the East, a vulnerable position since they would be forced to compete in the play-in tournament if elimination games started today. Over the last month of action without their star center, the 76ers have had some impressive moments where they rallied and found a way to win, but they’ve also been trounced by some of the better teams in the association. The Suns, Bucks, and Knicks all humbled the Sixers on their home floors in recent play, winning by double digits against Nick Nurse’s team. The market is clearly expecting something similar on Sunday.

As it turns out, Philly’s defense hasn’t been the problem. Even without the front court resistance of Joel Embiid, they've managed to maintain a top 10 defense in March. Where they really struggle is offense, a unit that’s now led by young upstart guard Tyrese Maxey who, despite acting as the Sixers’ spark plug and Embiid’s go-to sidekick when they were at their best, now has to become their number one scorer game in, game out. We’re not sure he was ready for that responsibility. He’s managed a healthy 24.6 ppg in March, but he’s taking a lot of shots and it’s not helping his team. He’s averaging over 20 attempts per game and shooting just 42% this month, and his three-ball has dropped to just a 34% hit rate. Philly will need more from Maxey and other role-players if they have a chance at winning games like today, but fortunately we don’t need them to win for us to fatten our wallets. And even better, their Sunday showdown is against a team that hasn’t looked all that great either.

The Clippers have good statistics offensively in March, but we’re challenging the legitimacy of those numbers. In essence, they’ve only beaten bad teams, while better teams have outperformed them and often in dominant fashion. In March, they have wins against Portland, Chicago (twice), Houston, Minnesota (by 1 point), and Washington. Nice, but not very impressive. Meanwhile, they were beaten (by margin) by Milwaukee, in a rematch against Minnesota, New Orleans, and even Atlanta. Oddsmakers are listing today’s game as if the 76ers fall into the bottom bracket of NBA teams, and there’s no way we can agree with that. Although the Clippers are obviously a threat to win the West when healthy, they haven't exemplified the same stellar outfit we saw before the All Star break. Since returning to action on February 22nd, their record is just 8-8. Their ATS record is even worse: 5-11.

The Sixers are getting more desperate. The Clippers are not. The Clippers have also been without Russell Westbrook, who apparently has more value than many pundits give him credit for. LAC's second unit might also take a hit today if they're without Norman Powell, an important depth piece and long distance sharpshooter, who's also questionable to play today because of a nagging leg injury. There are only three weeks remaining on the NBA calendar. Philadelphia cannot afford to keep falling in the standings, and we're confident they'll play with tremendous fire and tenacity today against a very beatable program, at least that's the version of the Clippers that we're seeing lately. We also love that Philly is equipped with a coach who's won at the highest level in Nick Nurse, not to be outshined by the popular Ty Lue. In any case, it's exceedingly apparent that the value is on the road pooch and we're pulling the trigger!

Farley

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