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Bobcats vs. 76ers Free NBA Pick (Jan. 9)

NBA betting preview and free pick for tonights matchup between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are a 6.5-point favorite…

NBA Underdog Alert – Charlotte at Philadelphia

BetUS NBA Basketball Betting Odds: PHILADELPHIA -6, Total 190.5

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* CHAR has lost four of its last six games SU
* CHAR has covered two of its last six games
* CHAR has played four of its last six games OVER the total * CHAR has covered nine of its last 13 road games
* CHAR has lost 12 of its last 15 road games SU
* CHAR has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total
* PHIL has covered four of its last five games
* PHIL has lost six of its last nine games SU
* PHIL has played seven of its last eight games OVER the total
* PHIL has covered three of its last nine home games
* PHIL has lost six of its last nine home games SU
* PHIL has played 15 of its last 21 home games UNDER the total

Also….

* CHAR has covered nine of the last 13 meetings
* Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total
* PHIL has won six of the last seven meetings SU as the home team
* Four of the last six meetings in Philadelphia have gone OVER the total
* PHIL has had the shooting edge in seven of the last ten meetings
* CHAR has made more three-pointers in four of the last six meetings

Charlotte has been hot and cold lately. Last Friday the Bobcats were drubbed 103-75 at Milwaukee as they shot just 39% from the field. The next night, at the back end of the home-and-home at Charlotte, they scored a ten-point victory, then followed that two days later with a 114-106 win over the Celtics, in which they shot 48% against the NBA’s best defensive team. The ‘Cats could not stand success, apparently, as they turned around the next night after the Boston win and got blown away by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-81, once again shooting 39%. How bad was it? Well, three minutes into the second quarter, Cleveland was already up by 29 points. So I guess it’s consistency the Bobcats are seeking.

The Sixers are going through their best shooting stretch of the season right now, having shot 54% over their last three games. Not coincidentally, those were all covers. Philadelphia, which surged to a playoff spot last season based partly on a defense that was triggered by leaders Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert, has not posted sizzling numbers in that regard, allowing 45.5% from the floor this season. In three of the last six games, the opponent has shot 47% or better. As a result, there have been quite a few games going over the total; in fact, seven of their last eight have gone in that direction.

These teams met on November 24, with Charlotte winning by a 93-84 margin in a game they probably should have won by a lot more, considering they outshot the Sixers 55%-39.5% from the field and created even more of a disparity in three-point shooting, hitting 8 of 14 from beyond the arc while Philly made only three of 16. The Sixers hit only 3.7 three-pointers per contest, so they don’t have that kind of ability to build margins, which might be an explanation as to why they haven’t excelled in the favorite’s role (8-10 ATS). Meanwhile, Charlotte hasn’t done badly in the road underdog role, covering 10 of 15.

Coach Larry Brown is probably a lot happier with people like Raja Bell and Boris Diaw in his rotation than he was with Jason Richardson, who was not a defender. Bell is back after missing five games with a groin injury. We know this Bobcat team has much better performances in them than it displayed against Cleveland. Brown won’t have any tolerance for another lay-down, especially going into a place where he led the Sixers to the NBA Finals once. Brown has implied that sometimes his team is intimidated by some of the league’s better clubs, but that shouldn’t be the case here. We’ll take the points with Charlotte, the six-point underdog in the BetUS NBA pro basketball sports betting odds.

Our PLAY: CHARLOTTE +6 ***

By Cappers Picks

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