76ers vs Nets NBA Odds, Picks and Predictions

Despite a 33-point explosion from Tyrese Maxey in Game 2, the Philly guard didn't record an assist. However, our NBA betting picks and predictions below break down why he'll be looking for his teammates in Game 3.

The Philadelphia 76ers roll into the Big Apple holding a 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal Thursday night.

The NBA playoff odds have Philadelphia as a 4.5-point road favorite for Game 3 after winning both outright and against the spread on its own court in the opening two games of the series. The Sixers could keep the cash flowing, owning a solid 23-18 ATS mark as visitors this season (56%).

If Brooklyn is going to put up a fight, it needs to solve the 76ers’ defense which has smoothed the Nets and dragged this series into the sand, with the lowest pace rating of any of the first-round sets.

I chop up the point spread and Over/Under total for Thursday’s battle in Brooklyn and give my best NBA picks and predictions for 76ers at Nets on April 20.

76ers vs Nets Game 3 best odds

76ers vs Nets Game 3 picks and predictions

The Philadelphia 76ers' role players have stepped up big in the first two games of this quarterfinal series. With the Brooklyn Nets packing the paint and attempting to nullify center Joel Embiid, there has been a lot of space to operate on the outside for the 76ers perimeter players.

One of those guys making the most of that is guard Tyrese Maxey.

He had a solid stat line of 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists in Game 1 and emerged as a scorer with James Harden struggling in Game 2, going 13-for-23 from the floor for 33 points. Maxey didn’t record a single assist in that win — just his fourth game without a single dime all season.

Maxey entered the postseason averaging 3.7 assists per game since the All-Star break but his assist prop for tonight’s Game 3 reflects the goose egg in that category from Monday night, pegged at 2.5 assists (Over -103).

Maxey’s assist projections for this trip to Brooklyn sit higher than three with some even surpassing four dimes dished out against the Nets. My number is on the higher end at 3.8 assists in Game 3 with the 76ers looking to get their big guns firing on the road.

While Maxey did take on a heavier scoring role in Game 2, the Sixers want to get Harden going after he’s struggled to finish in the paint and drew fouls. Harden is shooting just 38% from inside the arc so far in the series and has yet to get to the charity stripe.

Head coach Doc Rivers told the media the team broke down the lack of spacing in the 76ers' offense during film sessions and how that hindered Harden, specifically in transition where the speedy Maxey thrives as the ball carrier and can add an element of tempo to an otherwise plodding series.

“I thought our spacing was really poor in transition especially, and that’s where it has to be at its best,” Rivers told reporters. “We have to run wide. We have too many guards, too many threes, fours running down on the floor where they should be running out wide. We didn’t do that for whatever reason.”

Even Maxey himself stressed the importance of getting Harden touches in space and affirmed his confidence that his teammate will finish those looks at the rim.

Outside of the zero-assist outing against Brooklyn in Game 2, Maxey has gone for three, three, and five assists in the other three matchups with the Nets this season. He's also recorded three or more helpers in nine of his last dozen games going back to March 18.

My best bet: Tyrese Maxey Over 2.5 assists (-103)

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76ers vs Nets Game 3 spread analysis

While the Game 2 result wasn’t as cut and dry as the series opener, Philadelphia broke away in the second half for a 96-84 victory that topped the closing spread of -9.5. The Game 3 line hit the board shortly after, with the 76ers laying as many as five points on the road Thursday night.

With Brooklyn backed up against the wall at home, we have seen this spread slim to Philadelphia -4 as of Thursday morning with a market consensus of -4.5. That move away from Philly comes despite books like BetMGM reporting more than 80% of bets and handle laying the points with the 76ers tonight.

The Sixers have controlled the series through two games, leaning into a methodical pace on offense anchored by the halfcourt play of Joel Embiid, who is making an impact on both ends of the floor. The Nets are packing the interior to slow down Embiid on offense and while that’s limited his scoring, it’s leaving a lot of space for the other Sixers to do damage.

Brooklyn is very much having to pick its poison when it comes to defending Philadelphia and hasn’t been able to counter that with offense, as the 76ers' defense has been tough to crack. The Nets shot just 37.5% from the field and managed a mere 35 total points in the second half of Game 2.

Brooklyn doesn’t get much of a boost from playing inside the Barclays Center. After the roster overhaul following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, this version of the Nets went just 5-7 SU and 4-8 ATS at home in the post-break schedule. 

76ers vs Nets Game 3 Over/Under analysis

The Game 3 total hit the board at 208.5 points following a low-scoring 96-84 finish to Game 2 (played Under the closing total of 212). That number has since risen a touch to as high as 210 points at some sharper online markets.

As mentioned, this series owns a pace rating of 90.75 through two games — by far the slowest tempo of all the quarterfinal matchups. The 76ers finished the post-break slate as the second-slowest offense in the NBA while the Nets ranked 19th in that span with a new-look lineup finding its way.

Brooklyn’s offensive woes likely won’t see a lift at home, where the Nets averaged less than 108 points in their 12 homestands since the All-Star break. They went 4-8 Over/Under in those contests. Defensive continues to be the key for Brooklyn, which ranked No. 8 in home defensive rating during that span.

The Nets did a much better job disrupting the Philadelphia attack in Game 2 and didn’t give up anything easy to the Sixers, limiting their turnovers and sending the 76ers to the foul line just 16 times — a massive downtick from the near 25 free throw attempts Philly averages on the season.

Neither side shot especially well from beyond the arc in Game 2, with Philadelphia going from a red-hot 21-for-43 from distance in Game 1 to just 11 makes on 35 shots from 3-point range Monday. If those shots aren’t dropping on the road, expect the Sixers to attack the paint and try to pick up fouls and points at the stripe tonight.

That could equate to plenty of points being scored with the clock stopped, which is always good for those betting the Over. On the year, the Sixers are 23-17-1 O/U as visitors (57.5% Overs).

76ers vs Nets betting trend to know

NBA playoff teams down 0-2 in the series and playing at home in Game 3 are 79-47-9 vs. the first-half spread since 2007. However, bookies have gotten wise to this trend and routinely pad the 1H spread for those teams, leading to a 15-15-2 1H ATS mark since 2015. Brooklyn opened as a +2 first-half underdog, which has slimmed to +1.5, while the full-game spread has the Nets listed at +4.5. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Nets.