The Philadelphia 76ers have as much momentum as they’ve had all season in terms of making a deep playoff run and it’s all thanks to the return of reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.
Before Embiid went down with a knee injury in late-January, Philadelphia was in the hunt for the No. 3 seed. After missing over two months, Embiid returned in early April and helped the 76ers end the regular season on an eight-game winning streak. The 76ers overcame a double-digit halftime deficit in the play-in tournament against Miami to snag the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
With Embiid back and the 76ers 31-8 this season with him on the floor, Philadelphia is being priced in the futures market like the team that was near the top of the conference standings for the first four months of the regular season.
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Sixers NBA Championship odds
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the 76ers are the seventh-favorite to win the NBA Finals at +1700 ($100 bet wins $1,700), which is an implied probability of 5,56% that Philadelphia will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. They might be long odds, but oddsmakers are giving the 76ers the best chance to win the finals of any team that was in the play-in tournament.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Philadelphia is the second favorite to win the Eastern Conference at +700 ($100 bet wins $700), an implied probability of 12.50% that the 76ers will reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001.
Sixers-Knicks a coin flip in 1st round
On paper, a No. 7 seed beating a No. 2 seed in a playoff series would be considered an upset. On Thursday, the No. 7 Sixers were a small favorite in some spots to take out the No. 2 New York Knicks in the first round.
As of Friday morning, the series is now a coin flip at -110 at multiple sportsbooks.
The first-round series begins on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks are currently a 3-point favorite (-142 money line). The Knicks took three out of four matchups from the 76ers during the regular season, a series that featured Embiid in just one game. New York went 21-19-1 ATS at The Mecca this season and Philadelphia went 1-1 at MSG, winning without Embiid in a low-scoring bout (79-73) on March 10.
Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.