Philadelphia 76ers -8.5 1.917
The Philadelphia 76ers are definitely a squad you want to keep an eye on this season... Last year, they suffered through a brutal 3-13 start before finally finding their rhythm and finishing at 41-41, but honestly, that wasn't quite enough to make a dent against Miami in the playoffs. If you’ve been following any of the player or coach interviews lately, you might have noticed a recurring theme in almost every single one—they are absolutely desperate to get off to a strong start this year to make up for that rough beginning last season. It hasn't been easy for them, especially since opening the season with a West Coast road trip isn't exactly the most convenient schedule, but they managed to power through it and are heading back home after a solid 3-2 stretch. Those two losses came against a really sharp Portland team (-4) and a motivated Utah side (-3) playing their home opener after coming off two tough losses in Los Angeles and Denver, so they were clearly feeling highly energized...
Tonight marks the home opener for Philly, and I have a feeling they aren't going to take things lightly. I’m actually a big fan of this roster because they possess what feels like the most productive bench in the NBA, led by a fantastic Brand and an Andrew Hawes who has truly exploded this year with 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. With a future All-Star like Jrue Holiday in the mix, the team feels incredibly well-balanced, featuring a rotation of about 7 or 8 players where anyone can step up and drop 20+ points on any given night. They are young, hungry, and coached exceptionally well, so since this is their first game on home soil, I suspect they’ll come out running early to build a lead... I’m not too worried about them cooling off late in the game either, mostly because of that deep bench production where they have three instant scorers in Paul Turner, Demps Young, and Williams, who could easily combine for 40 or 50 points against just about anyone, let alone Detroit...
As for Detroit, what can I even say about them? They seem to be stuck in some kind of transitional phase, sort of a rebuilding period, though everyone is left wondering what exactly they are building toward... Most of the pieces look mediocre at best, despite a couple of decent wins against Orlando (who was on the second half of a back-to-back and looked terrible that night) and Indiana, which tends to struggle on the road against pretty much anybody. This feels like a perfect situation to fade them, especially since Rod Stuckey might be out tonight—though I’d personally love to see him play if it helps move the line down a point—and Knight just doesn't seem ready yet to deliver a high-quality performance in a playoff-intensity matchup. In my opinion, Philadelphia takes this one with plenty of breathing room...
