October 13, 2018
The 2018-19 NBA regular season gets underway in just a few short days, with the Sixers getting their schedule started on Tuesday night on the road against the Celtics, a rematch of the playoff matchup that ended Philly's season.
Last year, with a healthy Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, the Sixers improved by an astounding 24 wins and not only made the postseason for the first time since 2012, but also won a series for just the second time in the last 15 years. Embiid, who took the league by storm in his first season of full health, was named to his first NBA All-Star Game while Ben Simmons won Rookie of the Year in his return from foot surgery a year earlier.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for the Sixers, who managed to make that turnaround without the services of No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz. After a preseason shoulder injury, Fultz seemingly lost his shot, and although he returned for a brief stretch toward the end of the season, didn't appear to find it until he spent this past summer in Los Angeles training with Drew Hanlen.
Shooting guard J.J. Redick will be back, as will Dario Saric, Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell and others, as well as a few new faces.
So what does this year hold in store for Brett Brown's crew?
We'll have a full preview coming out soon, but in the meantime, we figured it would be a good idea to show you what oddsmakers are expecting from the Sixers not only this season, but next summer also, as their name came up in relation to several pending free agents for the 2019 offseason.
All the odds below were provided by MyBookie.ag — and you can check out all of their NBA odds here.
Currently, only five teams have projected win totals over 50 — and the Sixers are one of them. If they hit this number, it would be a two-game improvement over the 2017-18 season. Here's a look at the Top 10 for this upcoming season.
Golden State Warriors 63
Boston Celtics 59
Houston Rockets 56.5
Toronto Raptors 55
Philadelphia 76ers 54
LA Lakers 49.5
Utah Jazz 49.5
OKC Thunder 48.5
Milwaukee Bucks 48
Indiana Pacers 48
Rest of NBA...
Aside from having the fifth-highest win total in the NBA, the Sixers also have the third highest in the NBA.
Now that we know how many games the Sixers are predicted to win this season, it's time to take a look at what happens next: the playoffs.
According to MyBookie.ag, the Sixers are a virtual lock to make the postseason at -3000, meaning you'd have to bet $3,000 just to make $100. If you want to bet on them to miss the postseason (+1500), a $100 bet would earn you $1,500. Those odds are the same as the Raptors and trail only the Celtics (-5000 to make the playoffs) in the Eastern Conference.
But what about winning the East — or the whole damn thing? I think I'm starting to sense a theme with these odds...
Boston Celtics 9/10 (-115)
Toronto Raptors 7/2 (+350)
Philadelphia 76ers 7/2 (+350)
Milwaukee Bucks 16/1 (+1600)
Indiana Pacers 20/1 (+2000)
Washington Wizards 22/1 (+2200)
Miami Heat 30/1 (+3000)
Detroin Pistons 50/1 (+5000)
New York Knicks 60/1 (+6000)
Cleveland Cavaliers 70/1 (+7000)
Charlotte Hornets 70/1 (+7000)
Orlando Magic 80/1 (+8000)
Brooklyn Nets 80/1 (+8000)
Chicago Bulls 80/1 (+8000)
Atlanta Hawks 100/1 (+10000)
Golden State Warriors 4/7 (-180)
Boston Celtics 11/2 (+550)
Houston Rockets 17/2 (+850)
Los Angeles Lakers 12/1 (+1200)
Toronto Raptors 15/1 (+1500)
Philadephia 76ers 15/1 (+1500)
Oklahoma City Thunder 30/1 (+3000)
Utah Jazz 35/1 (+3500)
New Orleans Pelicans 60/1 (+6000)
San Antonio Spurs 70/1 (+7000)
Milwaukee Bucks 70/1 (+7000)
Denver Nuggets 70/1 (+7000)
Washington Wizards 80/1 (+8000)
Miami Heat 80/1 (+8000)
Minnesota T-Wolves 80/1 (+8000)
Indiana Pacers 90/1 (+9000)
Portland Trail Blazers 100/1 (+10000)
Dallas Mavericks 150/1 (+15000)
Detroit Pistons 150/1 (+15000)
Cleveland Cavaliers 200/1 (+20000)
Los Angeles Clippers 200/1 (+20000)
New York Knicks 200/1 (+20000)
Phoenix Suns 200/1 (+20000)
Brooklyn Nets 250/1 (+25000)
Charlotte Hornets 250/1 (+25000)
Memphis Grizzlies 250/1 (+25000)
Chicago Bulls 300/1 (+30000)
Atlanta Hawks 300/1 (+30000)
Orlando Magic 300/1 (+30000)
Injured Sixers guard Zhaire Smith (+6600) is tied with local rookies Donte DiVincenzo (Bucks) and Lonnie Walker (Spurs) for the worst odds to win Rookie of the Year, according to MyBookie.ag. Meanwhile, the guy the Sixers actually drafted (before quickly trading him to the Suns), Mikal Bridges, is +4000 to win ROY. The favorites? Luka Doncic (Mavericks) at +250 and Deandre Ayton (Suns) at +300.
Now, here's a look at the latest MVP odds, which features one Sixers player squarely in the Top 10 and another not that far behind.
LEBRON JAMES +300
ANTHONY DAVIS +400
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO +450
JAMES HARDEN +600
KAWHI LEONARD +700
KEVIN DURANT +1000
RUSSELL WESTBROOK +1200
STEPHEN CURRY +1600
JOEL EMBIID +1800
KYRIE IRVING +1800
BEN SIMMONS +4000
DAMIAN LILLARD +4500
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS +5000
DEMAR DEROZAN +7000
DONOVAN MITCHELL +7000
NIKOLA JOKIC +7000
CHRIS PAUL +8000
JIMMY BUTLER +8000
JOHN WALL +8000
VICTOR OLADIPO +8000
LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE +10000
PAUL GEORGE +10000
BLAKE GRIFFIN +12500
DEMARCUS COUSINS +12500
GORDON HAYWARD +12500
KHRIS MIDDLETON +12500
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS +12500
DEVIN BOOKER +15000
JAYSON TATUM +15000
KYLE LOWRY +20000
LONZO BALL +30000
We've reached the portion of this post where it's time to look beyond the 2019 NBA Finals and onto the summer, which will feature some prominent free agents. Here's a look at where MyBookie.ag believes some of the biggest names will sign...
[Note: We've only included players that had odds for the Sixers. You can see all the others, here.]
Boston Celtics 1/5 (-500)
Brooklyn Nets 5/1 (+500)
NY Knicks 5/1 (+500)
Atlants Hawks 10/1 (+1000)
Philadelphia 76ers 15/1 (+1500)
Cleveland Cavs 15/1 (+1500)
Detroit Pistons 15/1 (+1500)
Orlando Magic 15/1 (+1500)
Field 3/1 (+300)
Golden State Warriors 2/1 (+200)
LA Lakers 2/1 (+200)
LA Clippers 10/1 (+1000)
Boston Celtics 12/1 (+1200)
NY Knicks 12/1 (+1200)
Oklahoma Thunder 12/1 (+1200)
Philadelphia 76ers 15/1 (+1500)
Miami Heat 15/1 (+1500)
Field 3/1 (+300)
Boston Celtics 6/4 (+150)
Atlanta Hawks 7/1 (+700)
Memphis Grizzlies 7/1 (+700)
New Orleans Pelicans 7/1 (+700)
Philadelphia 76ers 10/1 (+1000)
Charlotte Hornets 10/1 (+1000)
LA Clippers 12/1 (+1200)
NY Knicks 12/1 (+1200)
Field 2/1 (+200)
Golden State Warriors 2/1 (+200)
LA Lakers 4/1 (+400)
LA Clippers 5/1 (+500)
NY Knicks 10/1 (+1000)
Houston Rockets 10/1 (+1000)
Miami Heat 10/1 (+1000)
Boston Celtics 12/1 (+1200)
Philadelphia 76ers 12/1 (+1200)
Field 3/1 (+300)
Boston Celtics 2/1 (+200)
LA Lakers 2/1 (+200)
New Orleans Pelicans 4/1 (+400)
Golden State Warriors 7/1 (+700)
NY knicks 10/1 (+1000)
Philadelphia 76ers 10/1 (+1000)
Houston Rockets 15/1 (+1500)
Washington Wizards 15/1 (+1500)
Field 3/1 (+300)
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