In a battle of MVP contenders, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid will square off against LA’s Anthony Davis tonight in the Wells Fargo Center. Both big men are off to strong individual starts, but their teams both sit at .500 or worse. Bettors looking for a positive return on tonight’s action should tail this Lakers-76ers player prop or check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays.
Best Lakers-76ers Player Prop Bet | December 9
Joel Embiid O/U 2.5 Steals & Blocks
Rarely do books post markets this inefficient. Joel Embiid has beaten this number in each of his last eight games. He has averaged 4.3 steals and blocks through that stretch. But even if Embiid slows down slightly, his season-long performance points to value as well. He has averaged 2.9 steals and blocks per game this year while beating this number in 10 of his 16 appearances. Yet every book with this market available has listed it in the plus money.
A tough matchup might explain the books leaving this number in the plus money at 2.5. However, the Los Angeles Lakers have allowed opposing centers to stuff the stat sheet with steals and blocks. Opposing centers have racked up the fifth-most steals per game (1.6) and the third-most blocks per game (2.4) when playing LA.
Embiid will benefit from home-court advantage tonight. He has averaged a monstrous 3.6 steals and blocks per game in the Wells Fargo Center. Meanwhile, the Lakers have played extra sloppily on the road. LA has surrendered 2.9 more steals per game — good for an NBA-high 9.7 — when on the road. They have also seen an extra 0.4 shots get blocked when away from the Crypto.com Arena. Stokastic’s projections call for Embiid to secure 2.8 steals and blocks as well.
Best NBA Player Prop: Joel Embiid Over 2.5 Steals + Blocks +120 at BetMGM
