[sc:NBA250 ]The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally complete. They’ve been on a rampage, winning 12 of their last 14 as the Big Three of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kevin Irving have each had their own opportunities to shine. The Cavaliers roll into Philadelphia Sunday night as they take on the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia enters having lost eight of their last 11 games. Their struggles may be further compounded as first round draft pick Jahlil Okafor isn’t playing much to his potential. Can the rookie big man be the player the 76ers need him to be in a meeting against the East’s best?
There’s plenty more basketball to be had on Sunday. Check out our complete preview for the Thunder vs. Blazers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
When: Sunday, January 10, 6:00 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers (26-9)
Kevin Love exploded in his return to Minnesota, scoring 20 points with nine rebounds and four assists in a 125-99 blowout win for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It wasn’t all Love. He had plenty of help from J.R. Smith, who scored a season-high 27 points as he went a stellar 5 of 6 from three-point range. Iman Shumpert also had a big day with 20 points.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Cleveland remains LeBron James’ team. He finished two assists shy of a triple-double in Friday’s victory over Minnesota with 13 points and 12 rebounds. James has been spectacular against Philadelphia this season, averaging 25.3 points, six rebounds, 9.3 assists and three steals per game. He should be a terror on the court if he feels like going full throttle on the lowly Sixers.
A Cavalier who could go off big time in this matchup is Kyrie Irving. The Cavs point guard only had 17 minutes in his first game against the Sixers in his first ever game after recovering from a fractured knee cap suffered in Game 1 of last season’s NBA Finals.
Irving has been solid in January, going for 20.8 points per game on 53 percent shooting. But his three-point shooting still needs a lot of work as he’s making just 25 percent of shots from downtown over that span. Expect Irving to be unshackled against the hapless Sixers as he continues to regain his footing.
The Cavaliers have won eight of their last 10 against Philadelphia, but have gone just 3-7 ATS.
Betting on the Philadelphia 76ers (4-35)
Jahlil Okafor has been pretty solid in his last two games, averaging 20 points per game on 58 percent shooting. He also made quite an impact on the boards with 13 rebounds spread across those two outings. But before those performances, he was pretty quiet on the offensive end, with a pair of outings with just 12 points or less.
Okafor hasn’t been much on the boards, averaging just 4.8 rebounds per game in his last five. He may continue to struggle since he has been kept in check by Cleveland’s big men thus far. Okafor is averaging just 5.3 rebounds in three games against the Cavaliers this season.
With Okafor struggling, Nerlens Noel has made an impression when it comes to hauling in rebounds. Noel is averaging 10 boards in his last five outings. He’s also been solid against the Cavaliers this season, averaging 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, two blocks and 2.3 steals per game.
Philadelphia’s pair of big men could have a solid outing tonight if they can feed off point guard Ish Smith’s playmaking. Smith is averaging 7.5 assists in eight games since being traded to the Sixers this season. But he could also light up the scoreboard, shown when he dropped a season-high 28 points against Toronto on Saturday.
The Sixers are 1-6 SU/ATS in their last seven games.
Writer’s Prediction
There’s going to be a blowout in Philly as the Cavaliers cruise to a victory. Create a betting account now and catch some big NBA games coming your way.
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