76ers vs. Nets: Game Odds, Players to Watch for Game 1

On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers kick off their 2023 playoff campaign with Game 1 of their series against the Brooklyn Nets.

The two sides ended their regular season against each other earlier in the month, with the Sixers coming out on top, 134-105, helping Philadelphia pull off a season series sweep against the Nets.

As both sides had already secured their spots in the playoffs, their respective coaches didn't feel the need to risk the health of their starters, resulting in a showcase for reserve players.

For the Sixers, Shake Milton, Mac McClung, and Louis King all had electric performances scoring 20 points apiece, with Paul Reed trailing behind with 17 points and ten rebounds.

Cam Thomas of the Nets had himself a night scoring 46 points on 55 percent shooting, with RaiQuan Gray putting up 16 points. It was Thomas' fourth game of the season where he scored over 40 points, having last achieved the feat in early February.

Both teams have a clean bill of health going into game one, apart from Ben Simmons, who was sidelined for the season with a back impingement toward the end of March.

Game Odds

Spread: Sixers -8.5

Moneyline: PHI -350, BKN +275

Total O/U: 214.5

*All Odds are Provided by SI Sportsbook

Players to Watch:

Sixers: Joel Embiid

Embiid will come into game one on plenty of rest, having sat out of the final two games of the season. If the MVP finalist's regular season campaign is anything to go off of, he'll be in prime position for yet another spectacular playoff year.

In the season series against Brooklyn, Embiid averaged 32 points on 50 percent shooting while also grabbing 12 rebounds per game.

Nets: Mikal Bridges

Fans were given a very brief tease of Mikal Bridges in their last game as the veteran played for the first four seconds before being subbed out, all in an effort to extend his consecutive game streak.

The end of the season proved to be a hot streak for Bridges, as he averaged 27 points on 46 percent shooting since the beginning of March.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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