It's a massive Thursday with 12 games on the card, and Dale Crotty has his best bets for the Philadelphia 76ers hosting the Indiana Pacers.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Indiana Pacers
The Sixers have started the season with the equal-best record in the East, and enter this against a Pacers side with some significant injury concerns. Ivica Zubac is a big loss for Indiana, particularly with Joel Embiid on the other side, while there are question marks around Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard.
Philadelphia's big-five have only played two games together this season, winning both, and they enter as favourites with Indiana currently sitting at 2-2.
Same Game Multi
Leg 1 - LeBron James 15+ Points
LeBron cannot play the same role he has made a career from, but he remains instrumental to this 76ers outfit in a Mr Fix-It capacity. Points are down on what we are used to, but he is still averaging 16.3 points from his three games this season and, most importantly, the volume is still there. LeBron is still taking 14 field goal attempts per game, and assuming he maintains this volume the 15+ points should hit the majority of the time.
Leg 2 - Joel Embiid 25+ Points + Assists
It was a slow start for Embiid in the season opener against the Knicks, but what he did to the Bucks serves as a reminder that he is still a big problem in this league. Embiid finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his last game, with much of his damage coming from the short-roll action with Tyrese Maxey. The Pacers are without Zubac, so expect plenty of ball to go through Embiid once again.
Leg 3 - Pascal Siakam 6+ Rebounds
Siakam has hit 6+ rebounds in 24 of his last 33 games, and last start is a strong indicator of what to expect here. With Zubac out, Spicy P had a big game on the glass with 13 rebounds. He has hit 6+ rebounds in four of his last five games against the Sixers.
LeBron 15+ Points / Embiid 25+ PA / Siakam 6+ Rebounds @ $3.10
Value Bet
Jay Huff 3+ 3PM @ $5.10
Stretch fives against Joel Embiid this season should get plenty of looks, and I like the price for Indiana's Jay Huff to knock down a few from deep. Huff is starting for the Pacers in place of Zubac, and is more than capable of shooting the three-ball. From his last 17 games with 20+ minutes, Huff has made 2+ triples in 11 of them, which is value in itself at $2.30, but the 3+ at $5.10 is the standout. Huff is averaging 4.3 threes made per 36 minutes against the 76ers.
