By Sean Kennedy
On the sportsbook Bovada, you can currently get 3:1 odds on the Sixers not winning another game this season. First off, it’s pretty remarkable that a book would have a line out for a team losing 21 straight games. Mission accomplished, Sam Hinkie. But if you genuinely think the Sixers won’t win another game, this is a sucker’s bet. You would earn yourself a lot more money betting on the opponent’s moneyline every game and rolling the money over each game through the end of the season. Still, I don’t think it’s a wise bet either way, because 21 games is a long stretch, and a handful of games remain they could actually win, with perhaps no better opportunity than tonight against Utah.
The Jazz were blown out in New York last night, and not only is tonight a back-to-back for them, but they’re on the last game of a 6-game road trip, and teams always look sluggish in getaway games. Utah has lost the first 5 games of the trip, with the second-worst offensive rating in the league over that stretch (only ahead of the Sixers), and the 4th-worst defensive rating. Against a team bound to have tired legs and accustomed to playing at one of the slower paces in the league, Philadelphia’s up-tempmo attempt might be more effective than usual tonight.
Of course, the Sixers haven’t exactly been keen on taking advantage of opportunities presented to them lately. The Jazz defeated Philadelphia back in Utah last month despite a horrific shooting performance from usual leading scorer Gordon Hayward. He and Alec Burks each hit double-digit free throws as the Sixers offered no resistance on the interior, even with Derrick Favors leaving the game early with a hip injury. Hopefully, some of the Sixers’ newcomers are more interested in protecting the rim than Spencer Hawes was in his final days with the team. If the Sixers have any fight left in them, tonight will be the night the losing streak comes to an end.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
