Harden trade makes Sixers favorites in the East

Getting James Harden has cut the Sixers’ odds of winning the NBA title in half. As far as winning the Eastern Conference, several sportsbooks now have them listed as the favorite.

At PointsBet, which officially opened operations in Pennsylvania, they dropped the Sixers from 12-1 to win the title to 7-1 right after the deal. And moved them again to less than 6-1 as the market reacted.

“We think that this trade significantly increased Philly’s chances at coming out of the East,” said Sam Garriock, senior trader at PointsBet. “We moved them from [6-1] to equal favorites at [3-1]” with Brooklyn.

The Sixers were 25-1 to win the title on Jan. 1, according to SportsOddsHistory.com.

It will be interesting to see what Harden’s arrival means for Joel Embiid’s MVP chances. BetMGM had him favored right around 2-1 on Thursday, ahead of Denver’s Nikola Jokic (3-1) and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (7-2). One thing Embiid won’t have to worry about this season is Harden folding up like a lawn chair in playoff games like Ben Simmons did.

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“We lowered the Sixers a while ago when you could read between the lines that getting Harden was a decent chance,” said Ed Salmons, a South Jersey native who is VP of risk management at the Westgate in Las Vegas. “It’s a trade that clearly helps the Sixers right now. I have never understood Simmons being afraid in playoff games. Loved his game and everything about it — except the shooting part.”