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• Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors
• Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A lot can change for a team in a matter of minutes. Only a week ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were considered a top contender in the Eastern Conference, with superstar big man Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level. However, Embiid has suffered a serious knee injury and there are plenty of nervous people in Philly, especially with the Warriors heading to town soon. With that said, the 76ers are hoping to take down the Warriors in a key mid-week game. Will they come out on top?
As of this writing, the 76ers are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 30-18 record. Not having Embiid is going to be a brutal blow for them, but the hope is that he won’t be out for the rest of the season. Despite that, Embiid is going to miss a significant amount of time, which is going to hurt this team in their attempt to try and stay at the top of the conference standings.
| 76ers vs Warriors odds |  |  |  |
| 76ers to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Warriors to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over 195 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 195 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Other guys are going to have to step up, especially with Golden State making its way to the Wells Fargo Center this week. The Warriors are loaded with a ton of talent, which of course includes Steff Curry, Klay Thompson and others. The Warriors themselves are hoping to make a ton of noise the rest of the season and they could make a statement with a road win against the 76ers in the coming days.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the 76ers hold -110 NBA betting odds as the home team, while the Warriors are +125 as the visitors. While Embiid being out is going to hurt the 76ers, we think that Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and other players will raise their level of play. It won’t be easy for them, but we’re going with the 76ers as our pick to post a win against Golden State on Wednesday night.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 3, 2024
Joel Embiid is out of the MVP race due to his serious knee injury
Unfortunately due to what happened last week, Joel Embiid is out of the MVP race due to his serious knee injury. In order for a player to be eligible to win MVP, he has to play in a minimum of 65 games. With Embiid out for a while, he’s not going to reach the minimum threshold. This is a major bummer for him, as Embiid was in the middle of a sensational year with the team, including his 70-point performance last month.
On the season, Embiid has posted a mind-blowing 35.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds a night. Before he suffered his injury, Embiid was the favorite to win MVP. However, things have now changed, with Nikola Jokic holding the top NBA betting odds to take home the highest individual honor in the league. This is good for him, but you’ve got to feel bad for Embiid. He had dreams of helping this team win the NBA Finals this season too. Other bigs will surely need to step up.
"I'm told that the hope is that [Joel] Embiid misses one to two months…If a full repair is needed in surgery, that's going to be a significantly longer recovery time period."@ShamsCharania updates on Joel Embiid's injury.
📺: https://t.co/qYBPWhYgh7 pic.twitter.com/qvhjliu6WP— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 5, 2024
“We continue to see different things each night that takes a different look to see how much we can use Paul (Reed) and how much we can get out of Mo (Bamba),” head coach Nike Nurse said on the Embiid injury. “Paul is a hustle, put-back guy and Mo is a caretaker of the ball on offense going side to side and blocking shots. They have to cover the 48 minutes — especially for now and we believe in them.”
While we could see Embiid back on the hardwood this spring, people are worried about his injured knee and whether he’ll have any more issues moving forward. This was looking to be a historic season for Philly, but this knee injury for Embiid could ruin things before we know it. As for MVP voting, Jokic now feels like a lock to take home the award. We’re surely going with the Nuggets star as our pick.
The 76ers NBA Finals betting odds have also taken a hit
As expected the 76ers NBA Finals betting odds have also taken a hit due to the Embiid injury. Not long ago, Philly was considered a top contender to win the title this year, but that’s no longer the case. Per the oddsmakers, Philly now holds +1400 NBA Finals betting odds to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This isn’t a major shock, as Embiid is a major piece of what this team is able to do on both ends of the floor.
While Nurse is going to have a lot of belief in the other guys inside the locker room, no one can argue with the fact that losing Embiid for a long stretch is going to be a nightmare for the 76ers. Unfortunately, injuries have been a consistent issue for Embiid during his career with Philly. Once again, bad luck has arrived for him and this organization.
