Game Time: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 27th, 2022 

Venue:  Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Suns -5; O/U 229

Fanduel:  Spread:  Suns -5; O/U 229

BetMGM:  Spread: Suns -5.5; O/U 228.5

Philadelphia 76ers: 46-27, 2nd place Eastern Conference

Phoenix Suns: 60-14, 1st place Western Conference

A non-conference NBA matchup that many people see as a Finals preview. While nothing is certain in the NBA this season… These teams are clearly two of the safest bets to find a groove and destroy the competition in the playoffs.  The Philadelphia 76ers have the best two player tandem in the NBA….a legit MVP candidate at Center in Joel Embiid… and possibly the best scoring guard in the NBA in James Harden.  Embiid is also great on the boards and Harden can get double digit assists practically every time he plays.  The only question mark for the Sixers is will harden ever step up in a big game the way he does in all the others.  Add to the Big Two a solid supporting cast in PG Tyrese Maxey, SF Matisse Thybulle, and PF Tobias Harris… and the starting five is almost flawless.  The Suns have no fear of Philly.  The Suns don’t worry too deeply about Big two or Big three as over and over again they have proved themselves the best all-around team in the Association.  PG Chris Paul only recently returned from a thumb injury and will be playing limited minutes until the playoffs start. SG Devin Booker is 90% Kobe Bryant… and that is high praise from this writer… Devin can light up the scoreboards any given night… just a little more killer instinct and this all-star will find the all-time ranks.  C Deandre Ayton is not the best Center in the NBA.. that title belongs to either Embiid or Jokic… but Deandre is next in line with a magical combination of offense and defense.  But before you go thinking it is a Big Two vs a Big Three… The rest of the Suns 4-10 are capable of every minute they get on the floor…. And have all bought in to the team concept!  In fact SF Mikal Bridges might be the most important Phoenix Sun because of his two-way prowess and ability to take make everything happen.  This is gonna be a fun game… It will produce some Monday Morning radio talk show fodder nationally… and if we look at the numbers correctly, then we can make some $$$ off the point spread and the Over/Under.

The Philadelphia 76ers have won 7 of their last ten games.  They only went 4-5-1 ATS during that stretch.  Currently on a 3-game winning streak, they last lost to the Toronto Raptors 93-88.  Not uncoincidentally both Joel Embiid and James Harden had bad shooting nights!  Embiid landed 21 points and 14 rebounds in that one… but those are pedestrian stats for him at this point.  Harden only laned 17 points shooting less than 36% from the field.  The Sixers' last win was their last game against the Los Angeles Clippers 122-97.  27 points for Embiid and 29 points for Harden.  That is more like it.  In fact, the open disparity of the two games is the secret to beating Philadelphia…. A playoff team, with extra bodies on the bench, must pester and deter Harden and Embiid from having a good shooting night.   Other than that, the Sixers are good against everybody.

The Phoenix Suns are the only team in the entire NBA with less than 23 losses… and they have only 14.  That’s right the 1st place Suns are 9 games above the 2nd place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference AND 14 games above any team in the Eastern Conference!  The Suns are winning games at a rate no one else in the league can touch!  They have 9 wins over their last ten games… They went 7-3 ATS during that stretch.  The lone loss was to the Toronto Raptors all the way back on March 11th!  In that game Raptors SG Gary Trent Jr went off for 42 points… it was also a game that the Suns were missing PG Chris Paul AND a backup PG Elfrid Payton, And had yet to fully integrate the recently signed Aaron Holiday into more than spot duty.  Gary Trent Jr. does not go off against a healthy Suns team… I guarantee it.  Gary is a fine player, but even with the 42 point game on his ledger he is only averaging 18 ppg.  Phoenix’s last game was a wild scoring affair with the Suns beating the Denver Nuggets 140-130… It was a back and forth of scoring that was pure joy to watch.  In that game SG Devin Booker went off for 49 points and sat the last ten minutes… The fact that he didn’t push to get just 1 more point before sitting should tell you the Suns commitment to team over stats.  Suns Pg Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists in 30 minutes of play in his first game back from injury… apparently CP3 is made of an alloy that does not rust.

Al McMordie got out the broom Friday, and went 3-0 with easy WINNERS on UCLA/North Carolina Under, Colorado and Minnesota. On Saturday, Big Al's going to go for a 5-0 SWEEP in the NBA, as he's featuring plays out of 39-18, 41-14, 27-6, 44-15 and 9-0 ATS angles. Go get 'em! Get Big Al’s' picks!   You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

Philadelphia is 46-27 on the season, but 35-36-2 ATS.  They have logged 32 Overs, 38 Unders, and 3 Push.  They are a powerful 25-11 on the road.

The Phoenix Suns are 60-14 on the season, but 41-33 ATS.  They have notched 39 Overs, 34 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are the best home team in the entire NBA with a 30-8 record.

Philadelphia is 19th in scoring with 108.9 ppg, 29th in rebounds with 42.4 per game, and 8th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9.  On defense they rank 6th while holding opponents to 106.5 ppg.

The Suns are 2nd in scoring with 115.3 ppg, 11th in rebounds with 45.3 per game, and 2nd in AST/TO ratio with 2.1.  On defense they rank 8th while holding opponents to 106.9 ppg.

Our prediction for Sunday, March 27th is…. Suns 135 - Sixers 130

This is a bet for the Over.  Both teams are firing on all cylinders on offense at the moment.  Phoenix has 3 Overs in a row while Philly has 2 Overs and a Push over their last 3 games.  The enthusiasm for scoring will hit its peak in this game.  I think the Suns will hold on for the Win because they are at Home and loving life!

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Phoenix is 29-12 ATS as a home favorite the last 3 seasons.
Phoenix is 40-20 ATS after 3 straight games of making 47% or better of their shots.
Phoenix is 4-0 ATS versus Philly the last 3 seasons.

Philly: No injuries to report.

Phoenix: PF Cameron Johnson (quadricep) Out

Sixers:  PF Tobias Harris, SF Matisse Thybulle, C Joel Embiid, PG Tyrese Maxey, SG James Harden

Suns:  PF Jae Crowder, SF Mikal Bridges, C Deandre Ayton, SG Devin Booker, PG Chris Paul

Sixers: Doc Rivers

Suns: Monty Williams