Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 23/02/2024, 16:13  by Joseph King in NBA Prediction

The 76ers welcome the Cavaliers to the Wells Fargo Center for this meeting of two of the Eastern Conference’s top-five teams. Philadelphia currently sits fifth in the standings with a record of 32-23 while Cleveland is in second-place thanks to their 36-18 mark.

The 76ers were unable to return from the All-Star break with a victory after falling to a 110-96 home defeat to the New York Knicks on Thursday night. The loss means that Philly has now dropped their last two in a row and has fallen 1.5 games behind the Knicks for the fourth seed. It also marked the seventh defeat in the last 10 games for the Sixers as they continue to struggle for consistency. Their problems are somewhat understandable as the team hasn’t looked the same since losing reigning MVP Joel Embiid to a serious injury. Although first feared to be out for the remainder of the season, a successful surgery means that Embiid is now only expected to be out for around six to eight weeks. This could see the big man return in time for the NBA Playoffs, meaning the goal for Philadelphia will be to simply keep their heads above water until he returns.

Cleveland, on the other hand, will have their sights set much higher as this team looks to have a legitimate chance at making their first NBA Finals since the departure of LeBron James. The Cavs are the hottest team in the league currently, racking up 18 wins from 21 appearances since the turn of the new year. Their red-hot run has them tied for the fourth-best record in the entire NBA and trailing Boston by seven games in the East standings. The Cavaliers fell 116-109 at home vs the Orlando Magic last night, their second defeat in the last three games.