Washington Wizards vs Philadelphia 76ers Game 5 Betting Picks, Predictions, Odds & Lines

On Wednesday, the Wizards will travel back to Philadelphia for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs Round 1. Washington finally got their first win of the series on Monday, beating the 76ers 122-114. It was their first playoff victory since 2018. Their overall SU record is now at 36-42 while they’re 44-33-1 ATS. Philadelphia missed a chance for a sweep and some rest before round 2 of the playoffs. It was their first loss in six games. They now return home where they have won 9 straight contests. They’re now 52-24 overall, going 40-32-4 against the spread. Monday’s loss was also their first one to Washington in 7 games this season.

Line Movement

The big news ahead of Game 5 is the uncertain status of Joel Embiid and it has reflected on the odds. The Sixers opened as -7 favorites, the shortest spread in the series so far. With Embiid likely to miss out, the line has moved to -6.5. The total also dropped a bit, from 230.5 to 229.5.

Notes on Washington Wizards

After being written off by many, the Wizards managed to step up in Game 4. They took advantage of Embiid’s early exit and Ben Simmons’ foul trouble and snatched an important victory. Still, it would be unfair to credit Wizards’ performance solely to Philly’s issues. The Wizards played great team basketball, hit crucial shots, and came out deserved winners. Seven players ended in double digits and Washington shot 45.5% from the field as a team. As usual, Bradley Beal led the scorers with 27 points while Russel Westbrook recorded another insane triple-double. Russ had 19 points, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists. While it was expected from two stars to step up, the teal X-factor was Rui Hachimura. The Japanese wing had a great night with 13 rebounds and 20 points, including a clutch three 45 seconds before the end.

Davis Bertans got injured in Game 4 and joins Deni Avdija and Thomas Bryant on the injury list.

Notes on Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers may have lost Game 4, but they’ll be more worried about the injury to Joel Embiid. Philly’s big man left the floor after 11 minutes played and is unlikely to suit up on Wednesday. It remains to be when will he be ready to play. Without Embiid, the 76ers failed to keep up with the determined Wizards and weren’t able to claw back from the deficit accumulated in the 3rd quarter. The other key player, Ben Simmons, played only 24 minutes due to the early fouls. He missed 4 crucial free throws in the closing minutes as Washington hacked him on every possession late in the game. With no Embiid, he’ll be the focal point of Philly’s offense and will need to be more aggressive. The Sixers are 10-11 this season without their best player, but the lineups with Simmons and 4 shooters have shown a lot of potential. We’ll see if coach Rivers will go that way or the Embiid’s absence will mean more minutes for Dwight Howard.

Besides Embiid, Seth Curry and George Hill are also listed as questionable.

Betting Pick: Over 229.5

Three out of four games in this series went OVER and we expect that to happen again. The Wizards feature one of the most potent offenses in the league. However, they don’t offer much on the other end of the court. The 76ers will lose some points without Embiid, but in return expect them to play much faster and jack up more threes.