The Philadelphia 76ers begin a six-game homestand against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, and the visiting team's bench depth could prove decisive.
The Sixers go into the game without the services of both Joel Embiid and Paul George, who have missed 29 games and 14 games this season, respectively.
Whisper it quietly, but Philadelphia have won two in a row.
Sure, that doesn't sound great, but off the back of a seven-game losing streak and with the team still on the wrong side of the play-in fence, two in two is a step in the right direction.
To make it three in a row, they will have to take down the Lakers at the Wells Fargo Center but that may just be beyond their capabilities.
Still, the big issue for Philly is injuries and they aren't going away.
Paul George suited up in Saturday night's 109-97 success over the Bulls. By halftime he was once again being seen by a medic, this time due to a finger injury.
He has been ruled out against the Lakers, as has Joel Embiid, which means Tyrese Maxey needs to have yet another massive game for the Sixers to stay in the hunt.
Maxey is on a stellar run right now, and his production helped stun Cleveland on Friday (with the help of 30 points from George) and the Bulls 24 hours later. Maxey has been the driving factor to keep his team within sight of 10th place.
The problem is that their unhealthy roster puts pressure on a bench that looks inferior to the Lakers. LA has more role players to call upon, and that could be decisive.
And the Lakers head east in good form on a four-game winning streak of their own.
They are 26-18 now after winning four in a row, the last two at the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets, which were the first two stops of a six-game road trip.
Clearly, LeBron James is going to have to watch his minutes over the next week. Four players, including James and Anthony Davis played over 36 minutes in Monday's 112-107 success at Charlotte, and that won't be the case in Philly.
Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, incidentally, backing up the 36 points and 13 boards he racked up at Golden State.
The Lakers are inconsistent; the Sixers are inconsistent and short-handed. The edge is with the visitors who can cover the spread.
Too high? On AD's current form, you'd think not, but the clever play is backing the Under.
Davis is averaging almost 12 rebounds per game, 12.8 over the last 10 games, and Philadelphia have issues on the boards.
That said, in this market, it is clearly the points that have the impact. Over the last two games, Davis has drained 36 against the Warriors and 42 against the Hornets.
That's spectacular and the veteran All-Star can do big numbers on a whim. But against the Hornets he got almost 37 minutes of playing time, and the 31-year-old may not get the same court time on Tuesday night.
He is averaging 25.9 points per game this season and that's more reflective of what he is likely to produce here.
The Sixers rank last in the league for rebounding percentage and that won't change much while Embiid is off duty.
French forward Guerschon Yabusele needs to be impactful under the hoop, but his numbers suggest he may not get to 7.5 rebounds.
He is averaging 6.5 rebounds over the last 10 games and 6.4 at home. As a result, Under his total rebounds line is the play.
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LA Lakers | -205 ML |
Philadelphia 76ers | +170 ML |
Spread | LA Lakers -5.0 |
Total Points | O/U 217.5 |
Tyrese Maxey (PHI 76ers) | O/U 29.5 |
Anthony Davis (LA Lakers) | O/U 26.5 |
LeBron James (LA Lakers) | O/U 24.5 |
Austin Reaves (LA Lakers) | O/U 18.5 |
Kelly Oubre Jr (PHI 76ers) | O/U 18.5 |
Guerschon Yabusele (PHI 76ers) | O/U 13.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.