Houston Rockets vs Philadelphia 76ers Odds, Predictions, Player Props (Jan. 15)

Odds as of Jan. 15 at ESPN Bet. Claim SBD’s ESPN Bet promo code to get $150 in bonus wagers for Rockets vs 76ers.

Embiid Poised to Return for 76ers?

Joel Embiid (34.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 6.0 APG) was able to practice in full for Philadelphia on Sunday, which is a good indication he’ll return to Philly’s NBA lineup for today’s matinee versus Houston. It’s no guarantee of course. The reigning NBA MVP has a long history of injuries and the Sixers are always cautious with his health.

Embiid had become the favorite in the 2024 NBA MVP odds before missing seven of the past nine games with his current knee injury. On the season as a whole, the 76ers are just 3-7 without Embiid, though they did beat the Rockets 131-127 without Embiid on Dec. 29 and managed to go 11-5 without him just last year.

The Sixers secured a highly impressive 112-93 home victory over mercurial Sacramento last time out, led by a throwback 37-point performance from 31-year-old Tobias Harris. The Sixers were out-rebounded 54-46 by the Kings, but benefited from Sacramento’s ice-cold shooting (21.1% from three and just 33.7% from the floor).

The victory over Sacramento stemmed a three-game losing streak for the Sixers, which included home setbacks to the Knicks (128-92) and Jazz (120-109) plus a road loss at the Hawks (139-132 OT).

Philadelphia had the top Net Rating in the league before Embiid went down, but have since dropped to third at +8.3. They still rank top-five in both Offensive Rating (119.1, fifth) and Defensive Rating (110.8, second).

Rockets Continue to Struggle Outside of Houston

While Houston, which sent just 22-60 last year, continues to be one of the more surprising teams of the season, they have been borderline awful on the road. Their only win on their current road trip was a 112-110 decision over the league-worst Pistons, which required a five-point comeback in the last four minutes. Detroit also led by double-digits towards the end of the third quarter.

Fred VanVleet pulled the game out of the fire with eight straight points which changed the scoreline from 107-102 in Detroit’s favor to a 110-107 Houston lead, which they would not relinquish.

The Rockets are currently right in the middle of the pack in terms of Net Rating (+1.0, tied for 14th) but there’s a massive discrepancy between their offense and defense. The Rockets are just 21st in Offensive Rating at 113.1, but seventh in the NBA in Defensive Rating at 112.1.

Third-year center Alperen Sengun continues to have a breakout season. Averaging a team-high 21.7 PPG and 8.9 RPG, the Turkish big man has scored at least 21 points in ten of his last 12 games. Sengun is now second only to Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey (26.1 PPG, 6.6 APG) in the NBA Most Improved Player odds.

HOU vs PHI Player Props

Player props from the DraftKings app. 

Monday’s NBA props for Rockets/76ers have an odd look. With Embiid’s status for the game up in the air, oddsmakers haven’t posted any other Sixers on the board; Embiid’s absence/presence would impact their totals that much. Embiid himself is listed with a game-high total of 32.5. If he doesn’t dress, all bets on his player props will be voided.

Rockets vs 76ers Prediction

With Melton and Covington both out, the Sixers may be more motivated than usual to get Embiid back in the lineup for what is, realistically, a fairly meaningless regular-season game. At the same time, I would be stunned if Philadelphia didn’t at least ease Embiid back into action after a three-game absence.

While the Rockets have an ugly 4-13 straight-up record on the road, they’ve been nothing short of competitive in five of their past six on the road. They lost 135-130 in OT at the Cavaliers on Dec. 18, won 106-104 at New Orleans on Dec. 23, lost 120-113 at Miami on Jan. 8, and fell 124-110 at Chicago on Jan. 10 before their win over the Pistons.

Playing their trademarked tenacious defense, expect the Rockets to keep this game close against the shorthanded Sixers.

Rockets vs 76ers Pick: Rockets +7.5  (-110) – two units

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

• 10-8-2 ATS (+1.41 units)
• 10-12 ML (-3.17 units)
• 5-11 player props (-6.60 units)
• 0-1 same-game parlay (-2.00 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.