76ers vs Nets 2023 Playoffs Preview (Odds, Season Series and All-Time History)

The 2023 NBA Playoffs are here, and there are several exciting matchups to look forward to. One series fans have circled is the 3-seed Philadelphia 76ers taking on the 6-seed Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

These two sides have plenty of history together, especially from competing in the same division. Here's everything you need to know before they square off this postseason.

76ers vs Nets All-Time Playoff History

The 76ers and Nets have played 12 playoff games against each other before the 2023 postseason. Philadelphia owns the all-time lead in this matchup, going 8-4 across their three previous series.

The 76ers and Nets first collided in the first round of the 1979 playoffs, resulting in a 2-0 win for the former. They clashed again in Round 1 in 1984, but this time it was the Nets who picked up the 3-2 series victory.

The two rivals didn't meet again until the 2019 postseason. The 76ers winded up getting revenge 35 years later, eliminating the Nets in Round 1 in just five games.

76ers-Nets Season Series 2023

As division rivals, the 76ers, and Nets faced off four times against each other during the 2022-23 campaign. Unfortunately for Brooklyn fans, their team couldn't get the better of Philadelphia in any of the four tries.

The rivals first met at Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 22, ending in a 115-106 victory for the 76ers. They clashed again in Philadelphia on Jan. 25 as Joel Embiid's 26 points (featuring 13 free throws made) and 10 rebounds helped lead his team to a 137-133 win.

The 76ers got the best of the Nets again just a few weeks later, pulling off a 101-98 effort at Barclays Center on Feb. 11. The regular-season finale then went down on April 9 and it wasn't even close as Philadelphia walked out of enemy territory with a 134-105 blowout victory.

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76ers vs Nets Odds and Prediction for 2023 Playoff Series

After dominating the regular-season series, it's far from shocking to see the 76ers as heavy favorites over the Nets, per FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds. Philadephia is currently available as the -800 favorite while Brooklyn sits at an unfavorable +560 odds. The sportsbook also expects it to be a quick series, favoring it to end in five games at +165.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why the 76ers are heavily favored. Philadelphia is a well-balanced team that ranks inside of the top 10 when it comes to both offensive (No. 4) and defensive (No. 8) efficiency.

The 76ers are also led by a talented three-headed monster. Joel Embiid just won the scoring title (33.1 PPG) for the second straight year while James Harden was the NBA's top playmaker at 10.7 APG. That isn't even mentioning how Tyrese Maxey ended the year with career-highs in points (20.3) and three-point percentage (43.4%).

While the Nets have solid players like Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Nic Claxton, they lack the elite talent to win a seven-game series against an elite team like the 76ers. This was made evident by Philly sweeping the season series.

I don't think this playoff series will be a sweep because I can still see the Nets stealing a game. Having said that, the 76ers are the clear-cut better group and shouldn't take longer than (+165) to end the series.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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