Mavericks 76ers Betting – Philly Shows No Brotherly Love To Dallas On Friday

A few sports betting players are still skeptical of Philadelphia in the NBA and for good reason, as the 76ers have played a home-heavy slate. But they’re defending their home court and will have another opportunity to do so on Friday night when they welcome the champions from Dallas to town, and the 76ers won’t extend any hospitality to the veteran Mavericks.

What: NBA Betting
When: Friday, February 17th, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Pick: Philadelphia 76ers

Why Bet On Dallas Mavericks (18-11 SU, 17-12 ATS)

The Mavericks get to face a banged-up Denver team at home on Wednesday night, and they would be attempting to extend their winning streak to five games after they held off the Los Angeles Clippers to a 96-92 victory at home on Monday, and Dirk Nowitzki is finally starting to look like the Finals MVP of last season. Nowitzki scored 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and despite a poor shooting night (5-of-15), he was 11-of-15 from the foul line. Shawn Marion had 16 points, while three other Mavericks hit 10 points for the Mavericks, who were outrebounded 50-36, but they also forced 19 turnovers out of the Clippers. During this current streak, the Mavericks have won all four games by 10 points or less and one went to overtime, so Dallas is certainly getting a few pressure games to get back into the swing of things.

Dallas looks to be healthy at this point as Jason Kidd is back in the lineup, although head coach Rick Carlisle has said he wants to limit Kidd’s minutes to 25 a night, but it’s strange that Roddy Beaubois can’t even get off the bench after two straight DNP-Coach’s Decisions. Despite a terrible start to the season, a wealth of injuries, new players, players coming in out of shape and a few other factors, the Mavericks are still in the hunt, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference and some NBA betting players were counting them out. The Mavericks could be a more dangerous version of Boston: all they need to do is get to the playoffs healthy, and they'll push anyone in the conference.

Why Bet On Philadelphia 76ers (20-9 SU, 19-10 ATS)

The 76ers will be going for their third straight win on the road on Wednesday in Orlando after a 98-89 victory in Charlotte on Monday, and they need a huge night from their bench to avoid an upset at the hands of the lowly Bobcats. Lou Williams dropped 23 points, while Thaddeus Young added 20 points as the Philadelphia bench outscored their Charlotte counterparts 55-23, which made up for a tough night from all their starters outside of a 19-point performance from Jrue Holiday, who has really grown into his role as the starting point guard. However, he was allowed to play off the ball a little more as Andre Igoudala had nine assists to make up for a 1-of-6 shooting night, and Igoudala has finally realized what he is: one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and a team guy, not a 20-point scorer that he was being forced to play in his early years. Now the whispers are starting that some teams will be looking for a lockdown defender to boost their NBA betting chances, but will the 76ers be willing to let him go?

Head coach Doug Collins has said that he hopes to have center Spencer Hawes (Achilles) back in the lineup as he has missed 15 of the last 17 games, but the 76ers have been getting solid minutes from Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen, so they won’t rush their big man back. This will be the final home game for the 76ers ahead of a manageable four-game trip through Minnesota, Memphis, Houston and Detroit, and a win over the defending NBA champions would turn more doubters into believers.

How It Will Play Out

Philadelphia should be slight NBA betting favorites at home on Friday night at home, where they are 2-3 SU and ATS in their last five in the “City of Brotherly Love” against the Mavericks, with the last four meetings going under the posted total. The 76ers are 12-6 ATS at home this season, while the Mavericks are 8-5 ATS on the road.

Both teams should be rested after getting Thursday night off, and this is going to be a battle of the 76ers’ young legs against the veteran Mavericks, and this figures to be a low-scoring affair as the 76ers are second in points allowed, while the Mavericks are seventh. Philadelphia may not be able to come out of the East against teams like Miami and Chicago, but they’re good enough to shock the better teams in the league on a night-to-night basis and they’ll be ready to put on a show for their fans. Go with the Philadelphia 76ers at home in your online betting picks.