The City of Brotherly Love

Outside of the Nets, who have won nine straight, the Sixers are the hottest team in the NBA right now. After getting off to a 5-7 start and losing both Harden and Maxey to injuries early on in the season, something seemed to click. Having Embiid, who is currently putting together another MVP-caliber season, obviously helps. Before we dive into the Sixers' matchup against the Wizards tonight, here is a brief rundown of the Christmas Day slate 👇

• After a big first half from Julius Randle (25 pts through the first two quarters), Harden and Embiid stepped up, combining for 64 points en route to a fourth-quarter takeover

• Despite losing to Luka and the Mavs, LeBron passed Kobe for the most Christmas Day appearances with 17 — he also added 38 pts of his own

• Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown put up 70 points together, handily beating the Bucks, 139-118. Tatum is now the MVP favorite at +275

• Jokic secured his 41st career triple-double (41 pts, 15 reb, 15 ast) in a wild OT finish — his Nuggets would hold on to beat the Suns. This was nuts 👇

Oh, and James Harden entered MSG wearing something that you may have already caught a glimpse of, but I figured it's good to take in again 🎄

Can the Streak Continue?

Now that Philly is playing like the team that they were expected to be heading into the season, how long can this winning streak last? The next stop will be against a Washington squad that has seen better days — the Wizards have lost 14 of their last 17 contests, including a 10 game losing streak. Kuzma is nice though 💧

📍 Sixers @ Wizards Preview

• While Embiid continues to assert himself as one of the best scorers of our generation (still leading the league at 33.1 PPG), Harden's shot-creation through his playmaking has made things easier for the Sixers' offense as a whole. James is averaging 11.1 APG on the season, including a career-high 21 dimes dropped on the Clippers this past Friday

The Wizards sport the league's ninth worst defense, giving up 114.4 PPG to opponents, which doesn't bode well for a team that is now coming into its own offensively. On the other hand, the Sixers are stingy defensively, at least when they're locked in, and should be fine quieting a Washington offense that also ranks as the league's ninth worst (111.9 PPG)

• Even though the Wizards took down the Sixers the last time they met in November, behind a 30-point effort from Kristaps Porzingis, I don't see the same outcome happening — Philly is rolling and there will be no answer for Embiid in the paint

Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Sixers -4.5

• Moneyline: Sixers -198 (bet $198, win $100), Wizards +166 (bet $100, win $166)

• Over/Under: 222

For My Parlay Gurus

I'm leaning towards the over for the Wizards and Sixers game because I think Philly will take their time to focus defensively...you know, coming off their holiday hangovers. Ultimately I think they pull away in the second half, covering the spread as well. Check it out 👇

• Sixers -4.5 @ Wizards: -110

• Over 222 Total Points Scored: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $264 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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