The Philadelphia 76ers’ expectations were high coming into the 2024-25 season after inking Paul George to a four-year, $212 million contract on July 6. Based on those expectations, to say that Philadelphia has been a disappointment would be the understatement of the millennium.
The 76ers are just 15-27, 2.5 games back of the Chicago Bulls for the final Play-In Tournament spot in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid has played just 13 games and looks set to miss at least a few more while dealing with swelling in his knee. George has averaged just 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on his second-worst efficiency since he left Indiana in 2018 and for the first time in his career, Philadelphia has been outscored with him on the court.
The 76ers will have a tough time turning it around tonight when they host the 36-7 Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET. Although the Cavaliers lost their most recent game and have dropped below a 70-win pace for the first time all season, Cleveland is still a significantly better team than Philadelphia and George will need to have a vintage performance to have any chance of pulling off the upset.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the 76ers are 10.5-point underdogs, with the point total is set to 228.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Playoff P.
Best Paul George Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Paul George O20.5 Points (-105)
While the 76ers are on a seven-game losing streak, better than only the historically hapless Washington Wizards, it hasn’t necessarily been George’s fault. He scored only 11 points on five-for-11 shooting in Philadelphia’s most recent game on Monday, but it came in a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets, and George played fewer than 30 minutes. In his last three games that he has played his full load, George averaged 25.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists, draining 46.4% of his three-point attempts and posting a 29.6% usage rate. With Embiid, Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry, KJ Martin, and Caleb Martin all out tonight, the 76ers don’t have many sources of offense beyond George and Tyrese Maxey.
The Cavaliers have had a pretty good defense all season, allowing the 11th-fewest points, but two of their best defenders — Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro — are out for tonight’s game. Mobley and Okoro have both missed each of the past three games, and while Cleveland has actually posted a better defensive rating across that span, the Cavaliers are surely hoping that their best wing defender and best post defender aren’t out for long. Either way, George — one of the league’s most skilled players for his size at six-foot-eight — should have no problem doing just enough.
Paul George U6.5 Rebounds (+100)
Cleveland is very good at controlling the boards, even without Mobley; in their last three games, the Cavaliers have still allowed the eighth-fewest rebounds per game, and starting center Jarrett Allen is posting the second-highest rebounding percentage of his career as he chases his second career All-Star selection. Cleveland has actually allowed fewer rebounds per game without Mobley in the lineup than when he plays, despite the USC product averaging 8.8 rebounds per game both this season and across his career.
This season, George has been inconsistent as a rebounder. He has posted four double-digit rebounding games, but also five games in which he has grabbed three or fewer. George snagged only five in the teams’ most recent matchup, and overall, he has snagged six or more boards only four times in his last 10 games. Even though Embiid and Drummond are out, forward Guerschon Yabusele is still capable enough of crashing the glass to limit George’s impact tonight.
