Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers 3/10/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Matchup Preview (3/10/22)

I’ll go ahead and answer the question you are probably here for, which likely revolves around whether or not Ben Simmons will be playing in a potential return to Philadelphia. The answer, sadly, is no. Still, there is plenty to be excited for in this matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, including the Sixers’ fans’ reactions in general to Ben Simmons being in the gym and sitting on the Nets’ sidelines. The reactions and jeers from the fans will probably get old fast; however, this should still be somewhat of a spectacle.

There are other things to be excited about for this game outside of Ben Simmons’ return to Wells Fargo Center, including the collision of multiple All-Stars. James Harden now plays for the Sixers after virtually demanding a trade, so it will be intriguing to see if there is bad blood between him and Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. Additionally, the Sixers have not lost yet when James Harden and Joel Embiid are both on the floor, putting together a 5-0 record since Harden’s arrival in Philly. Kyrie Irving is also fresh off a 50-point night against the Charlotte Hornets! This was a huge moment for the Nets as they had lost four straight games and 17 of their past 21 games. The Nets went from being in second place in the Eastern Conference, before Durant suffered an injury, to truly needing to win most games they play; this one is no different. See below who I think will come through with a win in this matchup!

Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Betting Odds

I feel that this game is going to be very close because of this new “rivalry” and all of the bad blood in the building. Truthfully, I don’t want to touch this spread, and I don’t think there’s much value in it. I will be looking at an alternative. I believe Philadelphia will squeeze out a narrow win, but it should be close, and I’m not sure it will cover the spread. The other side of the coin, though, is how terrible the Nets are at covering the spread; they are one of the worst in the NBA this season. Therefore, I will be looking at Philly to win between 1-10 points at +170 on FanDuel.

How To Watch

Date: 3/10/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Channel: TNT

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Brooklyn Nets Starting Lineup

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Seth Curry
SF: Bruce Brown Jr.
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Andre Drummond

Brooklyn Nets Analysis

As mentioned above, the Nets are losers of 17 of their past 21 games. Brooklyn has been terrible during that stretch, losing by over eight points per game and allowing opponents to shoot over 49% from the field and 37% from deep. Since January 22nd, 2022, the day before Brooklyn’s losing streak started, it has a defensive rating of 120.8, second-worst in the NBA. The only team with a worse defensive rating has been the Houston Rockets, and that should come as virtually no surprise to anyone. The Nets have not been quite as bad on the offensive end, but they are still nearly in the bottom ten in the league in that time. Regardless of how they have been, there is still light at the end of the tunnel; if they perform well down the stretch, they could still make the playoffs. Additionally, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are completely healthy, and the only thing still holding Kyrie from playing in every game is New York’s vaccine mandate. Ben Simmons could be back sooner versus later, too, which would be massive for a team struggling so much on the defensive end of the floor. No matter what seed the Nets end up with, they will be dangerous if they get everyone healthy and on the same page.

Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: James Harden
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers Analysis

When James Harden and Joel Embiid are on the floor simultaneously for the Philadelphia 76ers, they have never lost. This is something that the Brooklyn Nets surely know and are trying to change for this matchup. Regardless, Philly has been sensational when Harden and Embiid both play. Since February 17th, the Sixers have averaged 119 points on 48.4% from the field, 37% from three, and 85.2% from the charity stripe on a massive 33 free-throw attempts per game. Obviously, James Harden and Joel Embiid are masters at getting to the free-throw line, which makes the Sixers even more dangerous because if they aren’t hitting shots, they can still put up points by drawing fouls. In their past seven games, Philly has also been adept at defending the perimeter; opponents are merely shooting 32% from deep against them. By the end of the season, Philly could be the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference if it continues this superb play. The Eastern Conference is extremely stacked this year, but the Sixers have as good of a chance as anybody to make the Finals right now.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Daily Fantasy Picks

In James Harden’s first five games for the Philadelphia 76ers, he has had one triple-double and three other games where he was on triple-double alert for the entire game. Despite Harden just playing more motivated than he was in Brooklyn, another aspect also makes him extremely dangerous right now: he has other weapons. For much of the time Harden played for Brooklyn, either Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, or himself was injured. Outside of those three, Brooklyn is quite thin, especially since Joe Harris has not played due to his lower extremity. Now, Harden has plenty of weapons, including Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Georges Niang, Furkan Korkmaz, and others. This is a healthy combination of three-point shooters, scorers, and slashers, which should be a lethal combination to put around Harden. Obviously, Harden is one of the most expensive players, but this could be a huge game for him, and he has the Philly crowd behind him against its new least favorite team.