Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Wednesday’s game between the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.

There are nine games of NBA action across today’s Wednesday slate. Tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Philadelphia 76ers will be facing off with the Washington Wizards.

This is the fourth and final matchup between these two Eastern Conference opponents this season. The Sixers are 3-0 in these matchups to this point. These two teams have very different outlooks for the remainder of the season, with Philadelphia pushing for a top-six playoff seed and the Wizards limping to the finish line and hoping for some lottery luck.

The 76ers enter as 14.5-point favorites and hold -1100 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Wizards hold +700 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at O/U 238.5 points.

Let’s dive into my preview and prediction for this Wednesday night matchup.

76ers at Wizards preview, prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 41-34 record on the season. They are one game back from the Toronto Raptors for the sixth seed, and they hold a one-game lead over the Magic for the eighth seed. Philadelphia has won six of its last nine matchups and is 3-0 against the Wizards this year. On the season, the Sixers have gone 40-35 against the spread, and the game total is 38-37 to the over/under. 

Philadelphia is largely getting healthy at the right time with the postseason push on it. However, it will be without Joel Embiid tonight due to illness, following the team’s three consecutive games with Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George on the tour together. However, Embiid poked some fun at being ruled out through his own social media. It should be made clear that he is still currently listed as Out, per the official NBA injury report. 

Maxey will continue to make up for the offensive slack and add to his averages of 28.8 points, 6.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds across his league-leading 38.4 minutes per game. George will look to build off his strong return from suspension and add to his season averages of 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Third-overall pick VJ Edgecombe has been a seamless fit on this roster, while Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Andre Drummond and Justin Edwards each play key roles in the rotation.

Nick Nurse’s squad is averaging 116.1 points per game, which ranks 14th in the NBA. The Sixers also rank 16th in offensive rating, 23rd in team field-goal percentage and 22nd in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.5 points per game against the Sixers, which ranks 19th in the NBA. They also rank 17th in defensive rating, 12th in opponent field-goal percentage and 13th in opponent three-point percentage.

The Washington Wizards sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a 17-58 record on the season. They are content continuing to rack up losses and maximize their lottery chances at the season’s conclusion. Washington enters this game having lost three straight and 19 of its last 20. On the season, the Wizards are 32-43 against the spread, and the game total is 42-33 to the over/under.

Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Cam Whitmore, Alex Sarr, D’Angelo Russell, Julian Reese and Kyshawn George all remain sidelined tonight. Of the available players, Jaden Hardy will headline the production with 13.2 points a game and shooting 43.8% on three-point attempts across his first 19 games with the franchise. Tre Johnson is posting averages of 12.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists during his rookie season, while Bilal Coulibaly contributes 11.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Bub Carrington, Will Riley, Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic also play notable roles.

The Wizards are scoring 112.6 points per game this season, which ranks 26th in the NBA. Washington also ranks 28th in offensive rating, 22nd in field-goal percentage and 16th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 123.9 points per game, which ranks 29th in the league. The team also ranks 29th in defensive rating, 26th in opponent field-goal percentage and 22nd in opponent three-point percentage.

76ers at Wizards prediction, best bet

The spread shifted from 16.5 to 13.5 following the news that Joel Embiid was ruled out for this matchup. However, this is a matchup that his absence has some benefit to the way the Sixers will match up with this young Washington squad. The two biggest Achilles heels of the Sixers with Embiid on the floor are opponents playing at an up-tempo pace and attacking the offensive glass. These are the only real routes to the Wizards keeping this matchup competitive, and this fear diminishes a bit with the Sixers set to play more of an up-tempo style themselves without the big man.

Philadelphia has won all three matchups against Washington this year by scores of 139-134, 121-102 and 131-110. Washington’s outlook has only gotten bleaker since this point, with the last matchup occurring on Jan. 7. Not only has Washington outright lost 19 of its last 20, but the Wizards are 6-9 against the spread in their last 15 and have only covered the spread in eight of these last 20 games. Washington is also 30-40 against the spread as an underdog and 19-26 ATS in Eastern Conference matchups this season.

The Sixers’ previous loss to the Heat was a hit to their postseason outlook, but this franchise still controls their playoff destiny. Expect them to keep their foot on the gas and put forth a strong performance against inferior competition as they chase a top-six seed. Philadelphia is 7-5 against the spread across its past 12 games and covered the spread in all three matchups against the Wizards this year. It is also 12-4 against the spread as an away favorite, 23-14 ATS as the away team, 27-21 ATS in conference matchups and 23-18 ATS as a favorite overall.

Expect the talent level of the Sixers to shine in this game and for them to have a level of scoring ability that the Wizards have no chance of matching. Washington is extremely limited in its reliable sources of offense, coming off 101-point and 88-point performances in its previous two games. Motivation is on the Sixers’ side, especially following their recent loss to the Heat. Count on a focused performance from Philadelphia tonight, where it gradually stretches the lead and pushes this beyond the 13.5-point margin. These are two teams trending in opposite directions, so count on this being put on full display in a blowout Sixers win.

Best Bet: 76ers -13.5 (-110)