It is a busy night in the NBA with 11 games of action taking place. Tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Philadelphia 76ers will be taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Sixers are looking to bounce back from their second loss of the season last night. This came in a crushing 24-point blown lead in which the Chicago Bulls did not hold a lead for the entirety of the game until Nikola Vucevic hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers last played on Sunday, and received some positive injury news that Darius Garland could be making his season debut as he has been upgraded to questionable tonight.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Cavaliers enter as 10.5-point favorites and hold -410 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sixers hold +320 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 236.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Wednesday night matchup.
Sixers at Cavaliers preview, prediction
The Sixers have been one of the biggest positive surprises in the NBA season thus far and this is an important test for them. They enter with a 5-2 record on the season, tied for second place in the Eastern Conference. Their pair of losses has come at the hands of the Celtics and Bulls, while they have defeated the Nets, Wizards, Magic, Hornets, and Celtics thus far.
Tyrese Maxey has ascended to one of the top talents in the sport, leading the NBA in minutes (42.0), points (34.4), field goal attempts (23.1), and made three-pointers per game (4.6). He has grown into the face of the franchise as Joel Embiid works through his knee issues. Embiid is expected to miss tonight’s game for injury management with it being the second night of a back-to-back. He is averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks across his limited minutes so far this season. Quentin Grimes has made a strong impact while V.J. Edgecombe has shined in his rookie season. Kelly Oubre Jr. has exceeded all expectations and is performing at a fringe All-Star level while Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Jared McCain, and Trendon Watford round out most of their depth.
Philadelphia has leaned more on a team-oriented attack this year with their strong guard play leading the way. Through the early part of the season the team ranks fourth in points per game, third in offensive rating, and is knocking down three-pointers at the fourth-best rate.
The Cavaliers are looking to defend their Eastern Conference-best 64-18 record last year and are off to a 4-3 start to the season. They have produced victories over the Nets, Bucks, Pistons, and Hawks while suffering losses to the Knicks, Celtics, and Raptors.
Donovan Mitchell continues to headline the production for Cleveland. The six-time All-Star is averaging 29.5 points and 4.5 assists while shooting an efficient 55.0% from the field to start the season. Evan Mobley has continued his offensive development and is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks while shooting a career-high 5.4 three-point attempts per game. Sam Merrill has gotten off to an excellent start to the season shooting the basketball and Jarrett Allen remains a key part of the team. Jaylon Tyson has also been amid a breakout in his second NBA season while De’Andre Hunter, Dean Wade, Craig Porter Jr., and Lonzo Ball round out most of their depth. The return of Darius Garland will provide a huge boost upon his return.
Cleveland leans more on their defense for success. They rank eighth in the league in opponents points allowed and 24th in scoring as a team. They are attempting the second-most three-point attempts in the NBA, but are 17th in efficiency. The Cavaliers are also forcing turnovers at the second-highest rate.
Sixers at Cavaliers prediction, best bet
This is a matchup that will tell us a lot about how legitimate the Sixers are. Their metrics have been better with this current version of Embiid off the floor with his current mobility limitations in mind. Unlike the beginning of his career, opponents are showing no fear attacking the basket and the three-time All-Defensive team member has struggled with his ability to get vertical and deter shots. Without the former MVP, Philadelphia has been committed to playing a more up-tempo style of play which has caused issues for opponents.
Cleveland has not played their best basketball yet this year, but are the better team on paper here. The rest advantage is a big deal, especially considering three members of the Sixers (Maxey, Edgecombe, Oubre Jr.) rank in the top four in average minutes per game across the entire NBA.
As has become more and more common in the NBA, this matchup is one that will largely be decided by the battle at the three-point line. Cleveland ranks second in three-point attempts and is connecting at the 17th-best rate (34.9%) offensively, while ranking 16th in three-point attempts allowed and 23rd in opponents three-point percentage (37.0%). Philadelphia is 15th in three-point attempts, but second in perimeter efficiency (40.2%) while ranking 20th in three-point attempts allowed and second in opponents three-point percentage (31.9%).
This is a tough matchup for the Sixers to pick themselves up from last night’s loss on short rest. But there is youthful spunk to this group that has me believing the 10.5-point spread is too significant. Cleveland has failed to clear this margin of victory in three of their four wins and the pair of Sixers’ losses have come by just three combined points. This is a crucial year for the Sixers on a number of levels and don’t expect them to be accepting any “scheduled losses” this early in the season. Keep an eye on the injury report leading up to the game for any unforeseen changes, but expect the youthful legs on the Philadelphia roster to be ready to lace them up and run once to keep this game within the 10.5-point margin.
