The Philadelphia 76ers are reeling, dropping their fifth straight game on Wednesday to fall to 2-12 on the season heading into Friday’s NBA Cup matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. 

Brooklyn knocked off the Charlotte Hornets in NBA Cup action on Tuesday, moving to 1-1 in NBA Cup play (the Nets lost to the New York Knicks) and 6-9 straight up on the season. 

Ben Simmons will return to Philadelphia on Friday – always an eventful time – but the Nets are showing that they can compete early on in the 2024-25 season.

With Paul George (knee) going down on Wednesday, Philly could find itself shorthanded once again in Friday’s matchup. 

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch and my prediction for this NBA Cup Group Play game. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Nets Injury Report

76ers Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets

Ben Simmons: We may never see Ben Simmons return to his All-Star form, but he’s been a productive player for Brooklyn this season, averaging 5.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in front of a hostile Philly crowd on Friday. 

Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid: After a slow start to the 2024-25 season, Embiid looked back to his usual self on Wednesday, scoring 35 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field against Memphis. He knocked down all 14 of his attempts at the line and played 35 minutes. He could be in line for a big game against a Nets team that allows 49.2 points per game in the paint this season. 

Right now, I don’t know how anyone could justify laying six points with this Sixers team, especially with George re-aggravating his knee injury. 

Philly has dropped five games in a row and is just 2-12 on the season, posting the worst offensive rating in the NBA over its first 14 games.

Even with Embiid back in action, Philly has yet to win a game, going 0-4. He did look more like himself against Memphis, scoring 35 points, but it still wasn’t enough for the Sixers to get a win. 

Meanwhile, Brooklyn has been a frisky team so far this season, going 10-4-1 against the spread overall, 5-1-1 against the spread as a road dog and 6-9 straight up. 

The Nets have the veteran talent to keep them in games, and they’ve posted a much better net rating (-2.6) than the Sixers (-8.8) so far this season. 

I’ll gladly take the points on Friday night. 

Pick: Nets +6 (-112)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.