Novig prices
Sixers' defense, not their stars, is carrying a 6-1 start into Monday's Bulls game
Philadelphia ranks third in defensive rating through seven games and hosts a 1-5 Chicago team Monday, with Joel Embiid questionable.
The Philadelphia 76ers have the names to win shootouts, but through seven games they are winning with defense. As Gordie Jones of Liberty Ballers laid out in a piece syndicated by SB Nation and Yahoo Sports, Philadelphia ranks third in the league in defensive rating at 105.4 and fifth in halfcourt defense. Its offense ranks 23rd at 109.3, and that's with Tyrese Maxey averaging close to 30 points a game.
LeBron James summed it up after Friday's win over the Knicks: "We definitely hang our hats on the defensive end so far this season." James told Liberty Ballers that a roster full of new players can come together on defense faster than on offense, which tends to follow later.
The last two games back him up. Against New York, VJ Edgecombe and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took turns on Jalen Brunson and held him to 8-of-22 shooting. Edgecombe also stopped Brunson's drive in the final minute before hitting the go-ahead three at the other end. Dean Wade didn't take a shot in nearly 27 minutes but had three steals while guarding OG Anunoby. In Charlotte the next night, with James and Joel Embiid both out, the Sixers held the Hornets to 34.8 percent shooting and won the fourth quarter 32-21, finishing with a 13-0 run. Jones also listed the caveats: Embiid's health, James' age, the lack of a backup center and a sample of only seven games.
The scores back up the rankings. Philadelphia has allowed 104.9 points per game and scored 108.7, so the 6-1 record rests on a margin of under four points a night. Five of the six wins came by single digits. The only loss, 106-93 to Detroit, was also the team's worst offensive game.
What it means for Monday against Chicago
The Bulls come to Philadelphia at 1-5 on a four-game losing streak, most recently a 125-111 loss to Boston on Friday, according to Metro Philadelphia. The Yahoo Sports injury report lists Embiid as questionable while the team manages his right plantar fascia. Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti are out. Chicago's Nic Claxton is doubtful with a hamstring strain, which leaves the Bulls short of size if Embiid is out too. Tip is 7:30 p.m. ET.
On this site's board, 12 venues have prices, and the Sixers are heavy favorites. Novig has Philadelphia at -471 on the moneyline and Chicago at +456. The spread differs by a full point across venues. Novig lists the Sixers at -10.5 at +104, and the best Philadelphia price anywhere is -9.5 at -115 on theScore Bet. Sportsbook hold on the spread runs from 2.9% to 5.0%.
The total shows how the market sees the matchup compared with how the Sixers have played. Novig has it at 239.5, and Pinnacle's best over price sits a point lower at 238.5. Philadelphia's seven games have averaged about 213.6 combined points, and only the 127-116 win over Milwaukee went past 239. The market is pricing a higher-scoring game than the Sixers have played so far, against a Bulls team that just gave up 125 to Boston. If their defense holds against a struggling opponent, they would reach 7-1.