Philadelphia vs Charlotte: 17-game losing streak will be broken

Philadelphia have beaten Charlotte 17 games in a row, and the Hornets' last win in a head-to-head encounter was over five years ago. The losing streak has been too long, and the visitors must break it.

Philadelphia

Joel Embiid scored more than 30 points in 9 of their last ten games, and during that stretch, Philadelphia got eight wins. That helped the Sixers move into fifth place in the Eastern Conference, and the leaders are on the doorstep. With Embiid on the floor, the team defends well in the paint, but on the whole, Philadelphia's stats can't be said to be outstanding. In many ways, the 76ers are in 10th place among all NBA clubs, and only in blocked shots, they are 3rd (5.9) per game. The 76ers' sack has yet to be depleted: Seth Curry is questionable, Tobias Harris is unlikely to play against Charlotte. Ben Simmons, Shake Milton and Grant Riller will be unavailable, while Tyrese Maxey recently returned to action.

In their last regular-season game, Doc Rivers' team defeated Houston 111-91 on the road. The 76ers allowed only 28 points in the paint, while Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond combined for eight rebounds in the paint. That said, long-range shots did not fly at all, and even the Rockets had a slightly better shot. The main reason for that was probably the absence of Seth Curry, and only Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle and Georges Niang shot more or less acceptable from beyond the arc. Embiid constantly fouled and converted all 13 of his free throws, giving him 31 points in 27 minutes on the court.

Charlotte

The Hornets won their last three regular-season games and are now in 7th place in the Eastern Conference. LaMelo Ball has been able to direct Charlotte's offense and the team ranks 3rd in the NBA in assists (27.1 assists per game). But that's not the main thing. The Hornets are 2nd in the assists to losses ratio, behind only San Antonio. Charlotte have several players ready to step up and score 20-25 points: In addition to Lamelo, these include Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre, Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges. Oubre, however, was placed on the coronavirus protocol the day before and will not play against Philadelphia.

James Borrego's men grabbed a win in the final minute against Milwaukee, 103-99. The decisive shot was made by Ball, who scored 23 points in total, and Terry Rozier was slightly better from beyond the arc (4 of 11 against Lamelo's 4 of 12) and with 27 points was the most prolific Charlotte player. Overall, the Hornets played well on the fast break and had 12 steals, which was one of the keys to their success.

Expert Betting Tips

Even without three of their starting five players, Charlotte put up a credible performance against one of the strongest clubs in the East. Now, much for Philadelphia will depend on whether Seth Curry plays, as the team was sorely lacking a good shooter in their recent encounter with Houston. Yes, it will be incredibly difficult to contain Embiid, but it will be a little easier with Plumlee on the floor. The home team should compensate for Oumbre's absence, considering they have four players averaging at least 17 points per game. I want to bet on the following outcomes:

• Handicap 2 (+6.5) for 1.77;
• Total Over 225.5 points for 1.95;
• Charlotte to win, including overtime for 2.75.