Pick against the spread, best player prop for Wizards vs. 76ers on Wednesday

The Washington Wizards are set to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on the road to open up their 2020-21 season and are underdogs against a team many thoughts had a real shot to win the Eastern Conference last season. This isn’t the same Wizards team that missed last year’s playoffs though, as they’ve paired Russell Westbrook with Bradley Beal in the backcourt by sending John Wall to the Houston Rockets. We’ll see whether Westbrook gives Washington enough to compete with one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday.

Philadelphia is favored by a significant margin but split its season series with Washington last year at full strength. Let’s take a look at some favorable lines and prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers, 7:00 p.m. ET NBA League Pass, NBC Sports

ATS Pick: 76ers -7.5

I don’t doubt that Westbrook and Beal will stuff the stat sheet for Washington and play a ton of minutes, but I’m interested to see how the Wizards’ young frontcourt players match up against Philadelphia’s size and experience. Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid will be matched up against Davis Bertans, Deni Avdija, and Thomas Bryant. Rui Hachimura won’t be available to help them out in the post, so I’d give the side with two All-Stars and one of the NBA’s better third-option scorers.

The 76ers don’t have an easy answer for Westbrook or Beal, but Danny Green is one of the better 3-and-D players in the league and is capable of forcing stars into tough for spells. I assume the Wizards will try to keep one star on the court at all times, but their lack of depth will catch up to them in this matchup. Washington lost by 17 the last time it played Philadelphia on the road and I think the 76ers shouldn’t have a problem covering the spread here.

Player Prop: Russell Westbrook O7.5 Assists (+122)

Westbrook had averaged over 10 assists in four straight seasons before joining the Houston Rockets with James Harden in 2019-20. I’m not saying we’ll see a return to double-digit dimes for Russ, but the number should definitely go back up under Scott Brooks and in a more featured role on the Wizards. Washington played at one of the highest paces in the NBA last season and I think the Sixers will play much faster this season under Doc Rivers and with Daryl Morey running basketball ops. If this is a track meet, Westbrook hitting the assist over seems favorable.

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