Sports-betting notes: The Sixers aren't winning lately, and they're huge underdogs against the Celtics

The Sixers are 12-point underdogs tonight, which is a reflection of Joel Embiid’s absence and a nod toward the Celtics, who have won eight in a row and are on the verge of running away with the Eastern Conference.

It’s also an indication of how little Nick Nurse has to work with, especially on offense. For some in the sports-betting community, it’s been a bit nauseating.

“I don’t understand why the Sixers are THIS uncompetitive without Embiid,” sighed Ed Salmons, VP of risk management for the renowned Superbook at Las Vegas’s Westgate hotel. “I know they have had a ton of injuries, but this is literally unwatchable. [Tobias] Harris makes me want to throw up when I watch him.”

There’s generally no cheering in press boxes, at funerals or in the back rooms of sportsbooks, but Salmons is a South Jersey native who’s been watching the Sixers-Celtics even before the days of Doc and Bird.

It’s not just Harris, who’s shooting just 33.3% (16-for-48) in his last four games. The Sixers are 4-7 during Embiid’s latest injury, and five of the losses haven’t been close. They were four games back of the No. 1 seed in the East on Jan. 22. Today, they are 12 back.

The 12 1/2-point spread for tonight’s game (7:30 p.m., TNT) is similar to the line back in December when the Sixers were without Embiid AND Tyrese Maxey and nearly pulled an upset before losing 125-119. Maxey will play tonight. The Sixers are hoping Embiid can be back in time for the playoffs in mid-April.

Another bookmaker has Embiid worth around five points to the spread, which is understandably significant for a reigning MVP.

“I’d say just under 5 points,” said Tom Gable, head of the sportsbook at the Borgata in Atlantic City. “Might vary slightly based on the opponent, but 4.75 is fair.”

The Sixers also are 4-7 against the spread since Jonathan Kuminga fell on Embiid’s left knee on Jan. 30. They’re on a 2-7 under run including four in a row. Tonight’s total of 230.5 seems high for the suddenly offensively-challenged Sixers.

On a bright note, the Sixers are double-digit underdogs for the fourth time this season. Though they lost two of the first three, they have covered each time, including an outright win at Cleveland two weeks ago.

Futures Odds

The Sixers were 8-1 at the beginning of the season to win the Eastern Conference. This morning on FanDuel, they were 18-1. They were 20-1 to win the NBA Finals in the preseason. They’re 30-1 today.

Finally, their preseason win total was 48.5. They’re 33-24 and would have to finish 16-9 to hit the over. That’s a pretty tall task given that they are 7-16 in games without Embiid this season.

This & That

• Chef’s kiss to Saturday Night Live for its parody of sports-betting commercials. Unfortunately, there’s a measure of truth to it. Sports betting, especially the commercials, can be predatory.
• Speaking of which, sports betting opens up in North Carolina on March 11 – the day before the ACC Tournament starts in Washington D.C. Imagine that. Betting on college teams located within North Carolina (i.e. Duke, UNC, Wake Forest) will be legal.
• The line on the number of wins for the Phillies is generally 89.5, but watch those odds. At FanDuel, the over is -110. At ESPNBet, it’s -115. At BetMGM, it’s -120. Of those three books, BetMGM is offering the best price at under 89.5 wins at +100. DraftKings’ line is 90.5 wins with over at even money (+100) and under at -120.

And finally

BetMGM has a line on when LeBron James will score his 40,000th career point. It might not be available in every market, but it’s available in Pennsylvania.

He’s 74 points shy, but there are no odds that he’d hit 40k in his next game – Wednesday against the Clippers. The first odds are for Thursday’s game against Washington (+2500), which starts a six-game homestand for the Lakers.

After that, it’s Saturday against Denver (+150), Monday against Oklahoma City (+135) and March 6 against Sacramento (+400) before the odds rocket back up to +1200 and beyond.

King James is averaging 25.0 points per game and has had at least 20 in 15 consecutive games he’s played. But heed those maintenance days. James, 39, also has missed five games in the last seven weeks.