Sixers games especially popular for bettors since James Harden’s arrival

Bettors are bewitched by The Beard. When James Harden made his Sixers debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was the third-most-bet NBA game on Feb 25 at DraftKings. A huge majority of the money was on Sixers (-2.5) to cover. Harden’s first game turned into a no-sweat blowout win. He also went over on his point and assist props.

The Sixers-Knicks game on Feb. 27 was the second-most-wagered game of the day at DraftKings behind Pelicans/Lakers. Rounding out the top three of most popular player props was “Harden over 21.5 points,” which cashed since he scored 29.

Joel Embiid, the favorite for MVP, has been playing even better since Harden’s arrival.

“That was probably the most wide-open I’ve every been, probably in my career. A lot of easy baskets I used to have to work hard for every game,” Embiid said after a 34-point performance against the Timberwolves.

The skeptic says “two games.” Fair enough. With 22 games left going into Wednesday, where is the NBA futures money going? Once the NBA playoffs start, the Sixers will hear, on repeat, how they have not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2001.

Let’s take a look where the bettors’ bucks are going at DraftKings for some NBA futures markets.

NBA Championship

Phoenix Suns (+380): 21% of the money

Golden State Warriors (+450): 16%

Sixers (+700): 16%

Milwaukee Bucks (+750): 9%

At BetMGM, the three teams with the highest amount of money bet on them to win the title also are the Suns, Warriors, and Sixers.

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls (+1200): 27%

Milwaukee Bucks (+350): 17%

Sixers (+370): 12%

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (+370): 51%

Sixers (-400): 24%

It looks like the Barstool Sports bar in Philadelphia is getting close to an opening date. In an episode last week of The Dave Portnoy Show with Eddie & Co., Portnoy said a private event was held there for the Super Bowl. However, he was vague on the exact opening dates.

A Barstool Sports bar opened in Chicago in mid-January. The Philly spot at 1213 Sansom, the site of the former Brickwall Tavern, will be the second location. The East Regionals of the NCAA Tournament are set for March 25 and 27 at the Wells Fargo Center. Nothing is definite and reps aren’t commenting, but it would be safe to guess that Barstool Philadelphia would be open for March Madness.

While Portnoy wouldn’t commit to an exact date on the show, he did say he would be there for the grand opening.

PointsBet Sportsbook arrived in Pennsylvania in early February before the Super Bowl. The sportsbook has been live in New Jersey since Jan. 2019.

Some notable features of PointsBet outside of the usual offering of other sportsbooks:

PointsBet upped Pennsylvania’s total to 14 sports betting apps, but one recently announced it is making an exit. Churchill Downs is ending its online sportsbook and casino in the next six months since it doesn’t see a path to profitability.

Since 2019, TwinSpires failed to account for more than 1% of the total amount of money bet in the state any year.

Mike Mamula would have won some people money back in the day.

The NFL Scouting Combine goes from Thursday to Sunday, and yes, you can bet on it. Props include whether anyone will break the 40-yard dash record, over-under for most bench press reps and other drill totals.

Katie Kohler is the Managing Editor at PlayPennsylvania where she writes about sports betting and casinos. Follow her on Twitter at @kkohler1129