The Atlanta Hawks are coming off an 11-point loss as 3-point favorites against the Washington Wizards, and they’ll now look to get right in a road game against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers haven’t looked quite right with Ben Simmons away from the team, but they’re still 3-2 and will be looking for revenge from last year’s playoff series.
The betting odds for this game have Philadelphia as a 3.5-point favorite, but Atlanta is arguably the better team now. Find out how this will ultimately shake out in our Hawks vs. 76ers picks and predictions.
Hawks vs 76ers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Depending on where you look, the Sixers will either be favored by 3 or 3.5 points in this game. The line opened at 3.5 so it’s not moving all that much. The total has moved quite a bit, with it opening at 217.0 and now being as high as 218.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Hawks vs 76ers predictions
Predictions made on 10/30/2021 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Hawks vs 76ers game info
• Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Date: Saturday, October 30, 2021
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBALP
Hawks vs 76ers betting preview
Injuries
Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu C (Out)
76ers: Joel Embiid C (Questionable), Ben Simmons G (Out), Grant Riller G (Out)
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Philadelphia is 1-4 against the spread in its last five games as a home favorite. Find more NBA betting trends for Hawks vs. 76ers.
Hawks vs 76ers picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Hawks haven’t looked great in the last two games, as Atlanta only beat the New Orleans Pelicans by three as a 5-point favorite and then lost outright as a 3-point favorite against the Washington Wizards. The Hawks are, however, in the Top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating this year, and they upset this Sixers team in the postseason last year. Now, Atlanta faces Philadelphia without Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid playing on an extremely sore knee — or not playing at all.
Much like the Hawks, the Sixers are 1-1 straight-up in their last two games but were unable to cover in either of those contests. Right now, Philadelphia is really missing having a player like Simmons on the floor — or a trade package of players that would be good enough to move Simmons elsewhere. Losing an excellent two-way player is never going to make somebody better, so Philadelphia is going to be a lot worse until he either comes back or is dealt. So far this year, the Sixers are just 20th in defensive rating. They were second in defensive rating last year, showing just how important Simmons’ multi-positional D was.
Not having a defender like Simmons will be especially noticeable against a team like the Hawks. Much like the New York Knicks — who blew out the Sixers a few games ago — Atlanta is loaded with shooters throughout the lineup. Trae Young is constantly driving and kicking to guys like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari. And Cam Reddish, John Collins and De’Andre Hunter are all improving from deep. If Philly is going to be missing assignments defensively again, this game could turn on them rather quickly.
Also, with Embiid’s status up in the air for this one, it’s worth noting that Clint Capela isn’t easy to deal with anyway. Whether or not Embiid is out there, Capela’s relentlessness on the glass and ability block shots could ultimately wear him out a bit. Embiid has been battling knee soreness over the last few games and will likely have to deal with it for a while now. Having to face an energetic two-way center is not what he’ll want to do when moving gingerly.
Atlanta should be able to make sure this game comes down to the final possessions, but the Hawks are also a great pick to win on the moneyline.
Prediction: Hawks +3.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
In last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, the final four games that these teams played against one another went Under the total. However, after a great performance against the Dallas Mavericks in Atlanta’s season opener, the Hawks have a defensive rating of 107.6 over their last four games. That number would be good for only 19th in the league if it was their season-long mark, but the Mavericks game has skewed their ranking and has them at ninth in the NBA. The point here is that Atlanta isn’t as good defensively as it seems.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia is just 20th in the league in defensive rating, and it doesn’t help that Embiid is playing injured. When fully healthy, Embiid is one of the best defenders in basketball. However, when he slips even a little, it’s hard for the Sixers to get the stops they need against offenses like this one. Factoring in all of that, it wouldn’t be surprising if both of these teams put up a decent amount of points in this game.
Prediction: Over 217.0 (-110)
Best bet
As long as you can get the Hawks at +3.5, that’s going to be the best play for this game. Not only is Atlanta a great bet to win this game outright, but there’s also a slight chance that Philadelphia ends up being without Embiid here. If you end up with the 3.5 and Embiid sits, you’ll be sitting rather pretty heading into the opening tip.
Regardless of whether or not Embiid is out there, Young’s fingerprints should be all over this game. Tyrese Maxey is a good point-of-attack defender for the Sixers, but he’s not what Simmons was for this Philadelphia team. Simmons was the one that ultimately gave Young trouble in last year’s playoffs, but the Hawks star should thrive without having to deal with his length.
Pick: Hawks +3.5 (-110)
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