Philadelphia Sixers vs. Brooklyn Nets odds, picks, predictions

The third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers start their playoff journey against the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in round one of the Eastern Conference Playoffs at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.

Philadelphia is the massive favorite in this matchup as it's -1000 to advance to the second round while Brooklyn is +600 to win the series on Tipico Sportsbook.

The Sixers owned the regular season series as they swept the Nets in four games including the regular season finale 134-105 on Apr. 9.

This is the first time these two Atlantic Division rivals have met in the postseason since 2019 when the 76ers won in five games in the first round.

Here is my breakdown and picks and predictions for this Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup with odds presented by Tipico Sportsbook.

Offense: Advantage 76ers

There's no doubt Philly has the upper hand here. Led by likely MVP winner Joel Embiid and superstar James Harden, the Sixers finished at 115.2 points per game for the 2022-23 season. The team also saw great contributions from Tyrese Maxey who took another step in his third year, averaging 20.3 points per game and a career-high 43.4 percent from three-point range.

Despite trading away superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, Brooklyn still managed to keep its playoff positioning by avoiding the play-in tournament. Mikal Bridges has shined since heading to the Barclays Center in the Durant trade to the Phoenix Suns. In 27 games with Brooklyn, the former Villanova guard averaged a career-best 26.1 PPG and has been the focal point of this offense. Cam Thomas has also flashed at times recording three-straight 40+ point games in early February and notched 46 in the finale against Philadelphia.

The Nets have proved many doubters wrong after trading multiple star players but it'll be tough for them to keep up with two of the best in the league right now in Embiid and Harden.

Defense: Advantage 76ers

Unlike on offense, I expect this side should be a lot closer. Both these teams ranked inside the top-10 in opponents points per game, three point percentage and top-15 in opponents field goal percentage.

In the one meeting in early February where each of these teams had a majority of their current playoff roster in action, the Sixers won a tightly contested 101-98 matchup at the Barclays Center. Embiid and Harden combined for 66 points while Bridges led the way with 23 for Brooklyn.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of those type of games in this series as I give a slight edge to Philadelphia in that category.

Series prediction: Sixers 4-1 (+200)

When it comes down to it, the 76ers star power will just be too much for Brooklyn to handle. I believe the Nets will keep these games competitive and even take one on their home court in either game 3 or 4 but ultimately Philadelphia will end this series in five games just like it did in the 2018-19 playoffs.

Other bets to place on Tipico Sportsbook is for the series to end in five games (+195), the Sixers to cover the series spread of -2.5 games (-150) and the under 5.5 total games to be played at -160.