- The Philadelphia 76ers have moved to the bottom of the NBA championship and Eastern Conference betting boards.
- Philadelphia’s odds tumbled after it was announced that Joel Embiid would be out indefinitely with a pair of injuries.
- Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion during Thursday’s Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ title hopes suffered a major blow after All-Star center and MVP Finalist Joel Embiid has been declared out indefinitely with a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion.
Joel Embiid is out indefinitely after suffering a right orbital fracture and mild concussion vs. the Raptors, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/FEleRsE4tG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 30, 2022
Embiid suffered the injury during last Thursday’s series-clinching win against the Toronto Raptors and there is no timetable for his return.
Sixers’ Odds Had Some Major Movements
The @sixers odds had some major movement over at @PointsBetUSA after this announcement.
Title +1600 -> +2100
Conference +750 -> +900 https://t.co/2tttfOwhBi— NBC Sports EDGE Betting (@NBCSportsBet) April 30, 2022
After the announcement, there were immediate major movements on the Sixers’ futures odds. At PointsBetUSA, Philadelphia’s titles odds drifted from +1600 to +1900 while their odds to win the Eastern Conference dropped from +750 to +900. Their new prices have put them at the bottom of both the NBA championship odds boards and Eastern Conference betting boards at that said sportsbook.
Meanwhile, the Sixers’ title odds faded from +1400 to +1800 at BetMGM following the news of Embiid’s injuries. After Saturday night’s playoff game between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves, the Sixers’ championship odds faded further at +2500 while the Grizzlies jumped up to +1300. Philadelphia is also listed at +1000 to win the East at the same online betting site. Both odds are the longest in their respective betting markets.
Philadelphia’s title odds are also listed at +2500 via Caesars Sportsbook, Borgata Online, and BetOnline.ag. They are even at a longer +3000 odds via Barstool Sportsbook and Unibet. As for their Conference Odds, Philly is also down to +1000 at BetMGM and Borgata Online. The Sixers’ odds to win the East are even worse at +1100 via the Barstool Sportsbook, MyBookie.ag, and BetOnline.
Sixers-Heat Series Starts Monday in Miami
Sixers Heat series starts Monday in Miamihttps://t.co/9Fn4xfJO05
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 29, 2022
But before looking ahead at winning the Eastern Conference or the NBA title, the Sixers’ business at hand is against the East’s top-seeded Miami Heat who ousted the Atlanta Hawks in five games during their first round series. The Sixers-Heat second round series starts on Monday in Miami.
Here is the full schedule for the series:
Sixers crushed the Raptors tonight to advance to the second round
Here is the Sixers schedule against the Miami Heat pic.twitter.com/vdlHRvuDtC
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 29, 2022
Miami opened as a -4.5 point favorite to beat the Sixers in Game 1 but the odds have ballooned to -8 since Embiid was declared unavailable for the game. This matches the largest spread for the Heat in the current postseason, equalling their Game 4 odds against Atlanta. Miami didn’t only fail to cover that spread but lost the game outright to the Hawks.
Meanwhile, this is also the first time in the 202 playoffs where the Sixers have been listed as underdogs. The Sixers have been betting underdogs in only a total of 25 games this season and they were 14-11 ATS in those games. The current 8-point spread also matches the second-largest spread that the Sixers have faced this season. The other time they were listed as +8 was also against the Heat on March 21st. They won that home game 113-106.
Philadelphia also opened as the +135 betting underdogs in the series but those odds have grown to +325 in the latest Bet365 USA futures odds boards. Meanwhile, the Heat have gone from a slight -165 favorite to win the series to a heavy -425 odds on favorite at the same online betting site.
