Cleveland Cavaliers Travels to Philadelphia to Face the 76ers

The Cleveland Cavaliers sit at the No.4 spot in the Eastern Conference, following closely behind the 76ers. They’ll have their chance to regain some ground against them as they face off on Friday night. Unfortunately, the 76ers look quite different than they did the first time they faced. In fact, the Cavaliers have two superstars to worry about tonight, James Harden and Joel Embiid.

The duo of Harden and Embiid is actually going rather well for Philadelphia. Harden’s scoring ability pairs well with Embiid’s ability to dominate the paint. As they prepare to host the Cavaliers, bettors are wondering who’s the better bet. The real question we have is how large will the spread be? More importantly, can the Philadelphia 76ers cover such a large spread?

Can the Cleveland Cavaliers Slow Down James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers?

The main problem for the Cleveland Cavaliers right now is that they’re missing players. Darius Garland is the most significant injury on their roster. He’s currently listed as “out” but there’s a chance he can make it for this one, albeit slim. Garland is a leader for the Cavaliers, even though he’s rather young. He leads the team in scoring, assists per game, and steals per game.

The 76ers, on the other hand, has quite a lot going for them now. They have one of the best scorers in the league and arguably, the best center. They’ve won recent games with ease, beating the Timberwolves 133-102 and the Knicks 125-109. The ability to win these games this late in the season has moved them up to No.3. The Eastern Conference has a new contender.

Philadelphia 76ers Overwhelm the Depleted Cleveland Cavaliers 

When it comes to betting on this game, there are a few things you should look at. For starters, previous games between these two didn’t feature James Harden. Stopping Joel Embiid is one thing, stopping James Harden is something else entirely. Without Darius Garland out for this game, the chances are slim. Even if they had Garland, they’d be a longshot to win this game.

Taking the 76ers is a good idea in this game. They’ve gone 3-0 against the spread in their last three games, covering fairly large spreads. We’d imagine that this spread will be similar to their seven-point spread against New York. Philadelphia beat the Knicks 125-109 and easily covered the spread. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, winning this game and covering seems unlikely.

In terms of betting on the total here, we’d recommend taking the under. Cleveland has been dealt a significant blow if Garland is out. Even if he plays, he’ll likely be matched up against James Harden, an iron-clad defender on the perimeter. It’s also important to note that the total has gone under in seven of their last ten meetings. Take the 76ers and the under on Friday.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.