The Brooklyn Nets are a team that really needs to rebuild, but has to do it for the time being without draft picks. That puts them in sharp contrast with the Philadelphia 76ers, who have landed very high draft picks for the past several years and, in the words of critics, epitomized the practice of "tanking" in order to eventually get where they wanted to go. Now the Sixers look like they are headed to the playoffs, and the Nets are still a little in doubt as to how they are going to become contenders again, as these teams meet on Sunday night at 7:35 PM ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Remember that if you are a BetAnySports customer, you can get reduced juice before the game starts, and then, after the opening tip, you can access Live Betting Ultra to make real-time wagers.

Of course, Philadelphia has two of their big draft picks as the nucleus - center Joel Embiid, whose usage figure is now one of the top five in the NBA, and Ben Simmons, who has functioned, more or less, as a 6-10 point guard and could be considered the favorite to win the league's rookie of the year award. The future looks bright (and even better when Markelle Fultz eventually suits up) as the sky's the limit as far as Embiid's potential is concerned. And the here and now isn't so bad either; Philadelphia is 35-29 straight-up (36-28 ATS), and they are the sixth-place team in the East, just two and a half games behind the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers. They are also six games ahead of the ninth-place Detroit Pistons, so they are very solidly in the playoff picture.

The Nets (21-45 straight-up, 38-27-1 against the spread) are the 13th-place team in the East, and there seems to be some competition among them, the Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic as to who can get to the bottom quicker. But that's an illusion; the Nets, because of a trade with Boston that brought them Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce five years ago, sold out their future. They don't have a first-round pick in this year's draft.

They are trying to develop an identity under coach Kenny Atkinson, who likes to throw a lot of three-pointers up there. But there is a downside to that; Brooklyn has attempted the second most triples in the league, but they are just 28th in accuracy. And that can be a recipe for disaster.

In the pro basketball betting odds that are posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, the Sixers are laying points as the road team:

Philadelphia 76ers -6
Brooklyn Nets +6

Over 217.5 points -110
Under 217.5 points -110

It is the decision of Atkinson and GM Sean Marks that the Nets are going to give some playing time to youngsters. Often, what comes with that is inefficiency on defense. Indeed, only two of Brooklyn's last thirteen opponents have shot below 46% from the field. And during the period, they have surrendered 51% or better seven times.

Maybe there was some encouragement to be gathered from Thursday's game. Atkinson had been very concerned about the output from Allen Crabbe, who had been hot going into the All-Star break, scoring 101 points over the last four games, but had cooled off considerably since.

Since as we mentioned, a big part of the Nets' game plan involves throwing up triples, and Crabbe is one of those guys who came to the team with a reputation for long-range marksmanship, it was alarming that he had been able to make only eight of his 32 three-pointers in the four games previous to the visit to Charlotte. But he exploded for 29 points, including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, in the surprisingly easy 125-111 victory. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris Lavert, who may be their two best defenders, logged a lot of minutes off the bench (about 30 each), and combined for 40 points. But still, the Nets permitted the Hornets to shoot 48%.

The Sixers have lost eight of their last 11 games on the road, and Embiid is shooting just 41% in his last five contests. That shouldn't be happening, and coach Brett Brown thinks fatigue may be setting in. As Hollis-Jefferson and Lavert get more time, the defense could be better, at least in spurts. The Nets (5-1 ATS last six) may just be able to keep this one tight, so we're on the "take."

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