After he chose not to return to the Los Angeles Lakers for his 24th NBA season, there was plenty of speculation that LeBron James would return home for one final stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, when he finally made his decision, he sent plenty of shockwaves throughout the league by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tonight, James will play his first game against the Cavaliers as a member of an Eastern Conference rival for the first time since he left the Miami Heat in 2014. Philadelphia will host Cleveland in a nationally-televised 7:10 p.m. ET affair. The 76ers won their season opener on Tuesday night against the New York Knicks, spoiling their banner night, while the Cavaliers will take the court for the first time tonight.
Dominick Barlow (back), Tacko Fall (quad), and Ariel Hukporti (Achilles) remain out for Philadelphia, while Dean Wade (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable after missing the season opener. For Cleveland, Khalifa Diop (knee) and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (back) are out, and Jarrett Allen (knee) is questionable.
The 76ers are 2.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook (-142 on the Moneyline), and the point total is set to 237.5. The Cavaliers are +120 on the Moneyline.
Below, I’ll break down tonight’s marquee matchup and offer a prediction.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers preview, prediction
After getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, Cleveland mostly ran the same team back. The Cavaliers re-signed James Harden and inked Donovan Mitchell to a four-year, $273 million extension to keep him in Cleveland for the remainder of his prime. The Cavaliers made only two additions, adding Spanish ACB MVP Mario Hezonja and pulling off a sign-and-trade for Denver Nuggets wing Peyton Watson. Thus, Cleveland should look pretty similar to the team that finished with the league’s sixth-best offense and 15th-best defense last season.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, completely overhauled its roster. In addition to adding James, the 76ers also traded Paul George for Jaylen Brown, and they reworked their depth behind their starting lineup. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid continue to be the heart of the team, as Maxey led the team with 40 minutes and 28 points in the first game of the season, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anfernee Simons, and Wade are all in their first seasons with Philadelphia. The 76ers had an excellent offense and a below-average defense last season, and given Brown’s and James’ defensive track records, I expect that to continue this season.
Cavaliers at 76ers pick, best bet
Both of these teams do a good enough job getting to the rim, as Philadelphia ranked fourth in restricted-area attempts per game and the Cavaliers 12th. The 76ers did a terrible job finishing, though, ranking third-to-last in conversion rate on layups, with rookie VJ Edgecombe particularly struggling. Philadelphia should be better this season, as James still has exceptional touch around the basket even in his 24th season. Cleveland was the better rim-protecting team in 2025/26, allowing fewer layup attempts per game than the 76ers and holding opponents to the third-lowest percentage in the league. The Cavaliers might be slightly worse if Allen sits, as he ranked in the 65th percentile in rim points saved per 100 possessions last season, but they should remain better than Philadelphia in that aspect of the game, especially since Embiid has taken a step back as a rim protector.
In the season opener against New York, the 76ers got out-rebounded, conceding 14 offensive boards to the Knicks, and while New York is a difficult opponent to control the glass against, Philadelphia ranked 10th-to-last in total rebounding percentage last season. The 76ers were slightly better with Embiid on the court, and James and Brown were positive enough assets to their teams that they could be slightly better tonight, but especially if Allen ends up playing, Cleveland should have the edge through its double-big lineup. Philadelphia should still be able to make up for some of that margin in transition, given that James led the league in transition points per game last season and Maxey finished third, and both teams were fairly dsiciplined.
The Cavaliers have the far better shooters, especially if Wade doesn’t play. Cleveland ranked 13th in the league in three-point percentage and the 76ers 23rd, and both Brown and James have relatively inefficient jumpers at this stage in their careers. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, added a 41.1% three-point shooter last season in Watson. Neither team was great at generating uncontested looks in 2025/26, but Cleveland nailed them at a rate more than two percentage points higher. It was also marginally better at closing out on three-point shooters, and given that both Brown and James contested shots at a rate far lower than George, I trust the Cavaliers to maintain that edge.
Philadelphia’s performance in its season opener was somewhat promising, as Maxey had a strong all-around night despite uncharacteristically inefficient shooting and both James and Embiid shone at moments, but the 76ers effectively played a seven-man rotation and benefited from some awful Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby shots and Karl-Anthony Towns fouls to win by just six. They should have a better shot playing in front of a sellout home crowd that will surely be excited to see James play for the first time, but that reception also comes with pressure. I’ll take Cleveland to spoil James’ Philadelphia coming-out party.
