Nets vs. 76ers Thursday NBA injury report, spread, odds: Storylines galore with Kevin Durant vs. James Harden, Ben Simmons in attendance

Sportsbooks are expecting tonight's potential Eastern Conference playoff preview between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers to be one of the most-wagered games of the season – I guarantee it will be among the most-watched on TNT – because of all the storylines following the big trade of James Harden from Brooklyn to Philadelphia last month for Ben Simmons. The Sixers are currently 4.5-point home favorites at Caesars Sportsbook and taking about 65 percent of action on the spread. Click here for model picks.

Simmons is not ready to make his Brooklyn debut yet due to back issues but will be on the bench with his new team, and he will be booed in Philly like few other athletes there in recent history. Of course, Simmons forced a trade by not playing at all this season for "mental health" reasons. The Sixers already added a fence by the players' entrance to the court and are beefing up security to playoff levels.

The former No. 1 overall pick felt the Sixers threw him under the bus – specifically Coach Doc Rivers and star Joel Embiid -- for their upset loss to Atlanta in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. Simmons memorably passed up a wide-open dunk because he was so gun-shy about shooting.

Here are some props I have found on Simmons tonight at various books:

Will the TNT telecast show Simmons' passed-up dunk highlight?

• No -300
• Yes +200

Times Simmons is said during the broadcast?

• Over/Under 5.5

Will Joel Embiid & Simmons touch during the broadcast? (i.e., fist-bump, handshake, etc.)

• No -300
• Yes +200

It will be fascinating to see Kevin Durant and Harden try to outduel one another after Harden forced his way out of yet another city. Durant has said all the right things publicly but seethed privately that Harden broke up the Big 3 of those two and Kyrie Irving – who can play tonight because it's a road game. Remember, Durant purposefully didn't select Harden at the tail end of the All-Star Game draft. Harden ended up not playing regardless.

Philadelphia is 5-0 in games Harden and Embiid have played (Harden missed a loss in Miami) and Philly is an absurd plus-76 in 128 minutes with both stars on the floor, a margin that translates to winning a 48-minute game by nearly 30 points.

Harden is +340 for a triple-double tonight at Caesars. He has one in five games with Philly but came very close in three others. Harden has had a double-double in each and is -260 for one vs. Brooklyn. Durant is given an Over/Under of 28.5 points, with Irving at 24.5 off his 50-point game in Charlotte on Monday. The Nets also got Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in the Harden deal and both start. Brooklyn will be without LaMarcus Aldridge tonight, while Philadelphia is without Danny Green.

It's the last regular-season meeting between the clubs. The Nets are +300 to win the East and Sixers +330, but they might have to meet in the first round depending on how things shake out. Brooklyn almost surely will be in the play-in tournament, while the Sixers are third in the East. They could finish as high as first but probably not lower than third. If Philly does finish third, then it couldn't play Brooklyn in the first round if the Nets are in the play-in tournament.

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