The Cleveland Cavaliers (35-16) return home to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday following a three-game road stint as they take on an out-of-form Philadelphia 76ers (31-21).
Searching to extend a nine-game winning streak, it’s no surprise that Bet Rivers has the hosts listed as 10-point favorites (-114). The Captivating Cavs are one of the best teams across the NBA right now, and sit in 2nd-place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Sixers have been hindered drastically by the loss of reigning MVP Joel Embiid and have lost four of their last five games. You can tune in from 7:00 p.m. ET tonight for the matchup. Check out our best bet below!
Last Time Out
Even though the 76ers are struggling to cope with the injury to Embiid, they managed to pick up a 119-113 win on the road to the Washington Wizards on Saturday. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey impressed, putting up 28 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Nevertheless, that was just Philly’s second triumph over their previous 10 outings, meaning they are one of the most out-of-form teams across the league. They had lost their last four straight games prior to the Wizards victory.
Fortunes can’t be any more different for the Cavaliers who have lost just one of their past 18 matchups. They have won by over 20 points in each of their last two games as well, comfortably defeating the Toronto Raptors (119-95) and the Brooklyn Nets (118-95).
It’s been a well-balanced offense of late, too, with the points spread evenly over their last two games. Prospects look good defensively as well since Cleveland are giving up just 101.4 points per game over their last five. Center Jarrett Allen particularly impressed in the most recent matchup across the border, though, recording a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Injuries
The hope for Philadelphia is that Embiid will be able to return at some point this season. The Cameroonian underwent knee surgery earlier this month and has missed the last six straight games. Nicolas Batum and De’Anthony Melton have been ruled out as well for the game tonight, whilst Mo Bamba is questionable. Robert Covington is also unlikely to feature.
With the NBA trade deadline hitting last week, Philly made a number of moves. That has seen them bring in the likes of Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne. They also added six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry. However, the 76ers have seen the departures of Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris.
More positive news for the Cavs is that they are close to a clean bill of health. They have just guard Ty Jerome on the injury report who remains sidelined due to an ankle injury. Cleveland didn’t make any trades before the deadline.
Head-to-Head
Cleveland currently leads the season series 1-0 after beating the Sixers 122-119 in overtime back in November. Embiid and Maxey both put up over 30 points each for Philly, but it wasn’t enough as Darius Garland led the visitors to the victory.
It was the 76ers who won in the most recent clash in Ohio, however, recording a 118-109 win in March. The Cavs have picked up just one victory over their last five home meetings with the Sixers.
Betting Trends & Stats
The visitors still boast a top-10 offense in the NBA, despite dropping off following the injury to Embiid. The recent acquisitions of Lowry, Hield and Payne should help boost the numbers again whilst Embiid recovers. That was proven by Hield’s 23 points in the recent win over the Wizards.
However, they face a much greater task on Monday as Philly have to play against the 2nd-best defense in the NBA. The Cavs are allowing just 109.0 ppg this season, and limited both the Raptors and the Nets to under 100 points in their last two games.
Both franchises have performed well against the spread this season, ranking inside the top-10. However, those stats are propped up for Philly when they are favorites (24-13-0), particularly as home favorites (15-7-0). They have been the underdogs more often than not recently, though, and they have covered in just 40% of games when doing so.
The Cavaliers have the 6th-best ATS record in the league (28-21-2), and they are covering 61.1% of the time as home favorites. Their 5.9 point differential is the 5th-best across the NBA too.
Key Players
Embiid is the leading points scorer in the NBA (35.3) and the current MVP, so he’s a monumental loss for Philly. However, Maxey is averaging 25.7 ppg and 6.4 assists so he will be the key man tonight. Rookie Ricky Council IV has proven to be a solid scoring option of late as well, and will be looking to build upon his 19 points and 10 rebounds against Washington.
Meanwhile, the Cavs have a surplus of top-quality talent to call on for the game. The clear star, though, is guard Donovan Mitchell who ranks 6th in the NBA for ppg (28.2). He also leads the team in average assists (6.3) and steals (1.9). Allen will play a key role as well since he averages team-highs of 10.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
Best Bet
The recent trades should help the 76ers, but they still have a lot to figure out. Even with the recent boost on offense, it will be a much more difficult task against an incredibly sturdy Cavs defense.
Cleveland has been excellent offensively of late, and they can score from all over the court. They should comfortably put up points against a pretty average defense tonight and cover the 10-point spread.
Cleveland Cavaliers -10 (-114 with Bet Rivers)