Victor Wembanyama’s chances of winning Rookie of the Year have improved greatly this month, he has a chance to pull himself even further ahead of Chet Holmgren as he faces one of the best big men in the NBA tonight. Wemby just had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in the Spurs 131-127 win over the Wizards, it was only their 5th road win of the season. This is one of the rare teams in the NBA that plays better on the road than at home, they’ll look to capitalize on that fact tonight as they head into Philadelphia. The Sixers have had their number in the past 8 of 9 meetings, including 6 of 7 at Wells Fargo Center. San Antonio will be encouraged by their 8-2 ATS record in the last 10 games, plus they’ve also covered the spread 7 times in their last 9 vs East opponents.
Philadelphia failed to cover as double-digit favorites in their win over Charlotte, but that was somewhat understandable considering they were playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back. They no longer have that problem here, the oddsmakers have responded by making them 13.5 point favorites. Joel Embiid and co. have been one very consistent in home games this season going 16-6 SU/ATS, it’s hard to find a reason not to back them against this struggling Spurs side. One of the reasons not to do so would be injuries, right now Robert Covington and De’Anthony Melton are both out, while Patrick Beverly is questionable as he recovers from an illness. All eyes will be on Embiid, as it’s the case on most nights when the Sixers play. The big man is averaging 35.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in his last 10 outings, I’m curious to see how he plays the rookie phenom Wembanyama here.
