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76ers vs. Cavaliers Prediction and Odds (Cleveland Is Without an Answer for Joel Embiid)

By Matt De Saro

Denver Nuggets v Philadelphia 76ers
Denver Nuggets v Philadelphia 76ers / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages
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The Philadelphia 76ers will look to bounce back tonight when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Despite their recent loss, the Sixers are on a 7-3 straight-up run while their opponents tonight, the Cavs, are 4-6 in the same span. But the Cavaliers are coming off a big overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night and might have some extra momentum to work with. 

The Sixers' loss to Denver was particularly hard to swallow because of how well Nikola Jokic did in comparison to Joel Embiid. I am sure the Philly big man wants to put that game behind him and get back on track in the MVP race.

Darius Garland led the Cavs on Monday night with 24 points and 12 assists. Here are the odds for this Eastern Conference showdown courtesy of WynnBET: 

Sixers vs. Cavaliers Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

  • Sixers: -4 (-110)
  • Cavaliers: +4 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Sixers: -180
  • Cavaliers: +150

Total: 

  • 221 (Over -110/Under -110)

Sixers vs. Cavaliers Prediction and Pick

Since the All-Star break, these two teams have been on different paths. While the Cavaliers have slipped to the sixth position in the East after going under .500 since the break, the Sixers look like a new team. That is partly because in some ways they are a new team. With the addition of James Harden, the Sixers' offense went from dangerous to deadly.

I am not too worried about their recent losses to Denver and Brooklyn as both are good teams with MVP-caliber players. Harden and Embiid have watched as guard Tyrese Maxey has also stepped into the spotlight post-break. He’s shooting almost 46 percent from deep this month and is averaging 6.1 field goals made per contest. 

On the injury front, the Cavs will again be without All-Star Jarrett Allen who is out with a broken finger. In his absence, Evan Mobley stepped up against the Clippers with a career-high 30 points. While Allen has been out, Mobley is averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds per game.

While that is nice to see, I don’t see Mobley having a ton of success against Embiid tonight. With Allen, they have a shot, but Mobley will not be able to defend the Sixers down low and I expect Philly to exploit this matchup. 

Prediction: Sixers -4 (-110)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE

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