SIXERS (+8.5) at ROCKETS (230.5), 8 p.m.
Pick: Rockets -8.5
By the end of the weekend, it might be time to start getting concerned about the Sixers. Yes, as bad as Wednesday night’s loss in Chicago was, it was just one game. But now, with a date in Houston Friday and a pivotal contest for Eastern Conference seeding on Sunday against Indiana, the next 48 hours are pretty important for Philadelphia (41-24). Joel Embiid remains sidelined and Houston is red hot, having won six straight, including road wins at Golden State, Boston and Toronto.
The Rockets (39-25) are healthier now than they were back on Jan. 21 when the Sixers clobbered them at the Wells Fargo Center. You can throw that game out when looking at this matchup. Houston is in its own seeding battle out West trying to lock down home-court advantage for at least one round in the playoffs and right now we don’t want to step in front of James Harden and company.
Wednesday’s loss dropped Philly top 13-18 ATS on the road and we’re not counting on the road woes stopping any time soon for the Sixers.