A pair of Eastern Conference playoff contenders face off on Sunday evening, as Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers host the Atlanta Hawks, who remain without star guard Trae Young.

Atlanta is still off to a 12-8 start with Young missing most of the season due to a knee injury, as it knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday in an NBA Cup clash. The Hawks are now the No. 5 seed in the East, but they’re set as underdogs on the road against the Sixers.

Joel Embiid (knee) remains out of the lineup for the Sixers, who have cooled off after a fast start to fall to 10-8 this season – good for the No. 8 spot in the East.

VJ Edgecombe (questionable) could make his return in this game, which would be a major boost to a Philly offense that has been extremely reliant on Maxey this season.

Here’s a look at the latest odds, my favorite prop bet and a prediction for Sunday’s Eastern Conference clash.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Moneyline

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Hawks Injury Report76ers Injury Report76ers Best NBA Prop Bet

In Sunday’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I shared why McCain may be undervalued against Atlanta: 

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain has seen his minutes rise in recent games, playing 24:55 or more in three straight contests. He’s turned that into three games in a row with 15 or more points, and he could have a big role on Sunday with Joel Embiid out and VJ Edgecombe questionable for Philly.

McCain had a smooth 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting against Brooklyn on Friday, and he’s coming off a rookie season where he averaged 15.3 points per game in an expanded role.

As long as McCain’s minutes remain in the mid-20s, he’s a worthwhile bet on Sunday night. 

The Hawks have been one of the best road teams in the NBA this season (8-4 straight up, 7-5 against the spread), so I love getting them as underdogs in this matchup.

In the games that Young has missed, the Hawks are 10-5 this season, so I’m not too worried about them facing a short-handed Philly team that has struggled since Kelly Oubre Jr. went down, going 3-3 in the six games that he’s missed.

So far this season, the Sixers’ net rating is actually negative (-0.4) and is just 17th in the NBA. A big reason why is the team’s defense, as Philly is allowing 117.6 points per game and ranks 20th in the league in defensive rating.

The Hawks, on the other hand, have a net rating of +1.9 and have a slew of lengthy defenders that they can throw at Maxey – led by Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Since Atlanta’s been so great on the road, I’ll take the points in this matchup. 

Pick: Hawks +1.5 (-118 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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