Philadelphia 76ers vs. Houston Rockets: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 12/5/2022

HoustonTime: 8 p.m. ET

Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Where to watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ATTSW-HOU

DraftKings: 76ers -7

FanDuel: NL

BetMGM: 76ers -6.5

Caesars: 76ers -7

76ers: 12-11

Rockets: 6-17

76ers: lost 117-109 at Grizzlies on Friday

Rockets: lost 120-101 at Warriors on Saturday

The Beard might be back.

James Harden is expected to return to the lineup after missing 13 games with a foot injury, which would be a welcomed addition for the Philadelphia 76ers who are hovering around a .500 mark through the first quarter of the season.

The Sixers have been respectable without the former MVP in the lineup going 8-5 without Harden. The last two games haven’t been the best with losing by 28 in Cleveland, and then losing by 8 in Memphis a few days later. Joel Embiid did his thing in Memphis with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, but there was no help in the depth pool from the bench. Tobias Harris had 21 points and Shake Milton with 17, but Ja Morant (28) and Jaren Jackson (22) got more than enough help around them.

Harden’s tenure with the 76ers has been a rocky one. There was that moment at the onset of the trade where the Sixers looked dangerous with Embiid and they looked unstoppable. But not much can be better than what Philadelphia has done this year. They can be better, and if Harden makes shots, it’s going to be an interesting second half.

The Hosuton Rockets are certainly a team in the National Basketball Association that is hanging around by a thread. With their third loss in four games, the Rockets aren’t finding any consistency to their game with how young a team they are.

Houston did get an impressive win Friday against the Phoenix Suns, in Phoenix, which might be the best win they’ve had in quite a while. But that emotional victory drained them completely the next night with a 19-point loss to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

It is an amazing accomplishment that the Rockets were able to score 101 points despite going 3 of 28 from 3-point range. Kevin Porter Jr. had 20 points and four assists, and Jalen Green was held to just 13 points on 6 of 19 shooting. Once again, the young team running into problems, as expected.

It’s going to be a long time before the Rockets are contending, and one has to wonder how long the ownership group will depend on coach Stephen Silas and what their plan is. They need to get themselves an established star to start the rebuild. Hopefully, for their sake, Green or Jabari Smith can quickly ascend to the top of the build.

There aren’t many trends you can point to and say the Rockets can win, because they can either play well one game and shock the world, or play to their expectations. I think the 76ers are in a better spot with depth and with the Rockets playing a third game in four days despite being at home should not be enough. 76ers by 14

Rockets are 17-29 ATS as an underdog between 3.5 and 9.5 the last 2 seasons.

Rockets are 24-44 ATS as a home underdog the last 3 seasons.

Rockets are 12-25 ATS after losing 2 of 3 the last 2 seasons.

76ers are 7-19 ATS when playing 8 or more games in 14 days the last 2 seasons.

PG: Shake Milton

SG: James Harden

SF: Tobias Harris

PF: P.J. Tucker

C: Joel Embiid

PG: Kevin Porter Jr.

SG: Jalen Green

SF: Eric Gordon

PF: Jabari Smith Jr.

C: Alperen Sengun

76ers: Tyrese Maxey (foot, out)

Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate (ankle, out)

Points: Joel Embiid – 31.4

Rebounds: Joel Embiid – 9.7

Assists: James Harden – 10.0

Points: Jalen Green – 21.3

Rebounds: Alperen Sengun – 8.6

Assists: Kevin Porter Jr. – 6.0