Cleveland vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction: the Cavaliers' Long-Awaited Victory

The Cavaliers have failed to Philadelphia seven games in a row, including two preseason games. In the current season, the Cavaliers probably expect to end up higher in the standings than the Sixers - will J.B. Bickerstaff's team beat the 76ers in a head-to-head game?

The Cavaliers have failed 2 of their last three matches, and the decline in their game is evident. Even in the 102-94 win over Detroit, the team took a long time to find their groove, with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell falling short on at least one shot attempt. There are still lineup issues, although the return of Caris LeVert and Dean Wade has made things a little easier. Lamar Stevens replaced Wade, but now he is injured. Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen will not play against Philadelphia, while Ricky Rubio is not expected to show up soon.

J.B. Bickerstaff's team lost on the road to Toronto 88-100 in their last game. Evan Mobley shot the most from the field, though usually Garland and Mitchell take more responsibility on offense. The Cavaliers' biggest problem that night was three-pointers, though the team had recently been among the NBA leaders in three-point shooting. Cedi Osman had no shots, and Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley missed none of their three-pointers, throwing nine times. Cleveland even outscored the opponents in many other ways, and the sharpshooters' failure undid the effort.

The Sixers' roster is also constantly changing, and recently the club had to play without their leaders - James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. Still, Philadelphia somehow pulled through. Yes, the 76ers didn't have the most difficult calendar, but getting two wins over Orlando wasn't the easiest task in this situation. At least Embiid is back on track, and P.J. Tucker avoided a severe injury. It would have been tough without Tucker, and now Matisse Thybulle is back, so the defense should be fine.

Shake Milton is still an important offensive player for Philadelphia. In the recent game against Atlanta, he scored more than 20 points for the 4th time in a row, and the Sixers defeated Atlanta 104-101 at home. Melton was only the 76ers' third-leading scorer: Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris had an excellent game with a combined 54 points. At the same time, Doc Rivers' team showed a lot of character as they had been trailing for a long time. Their lead reached 16 points at times. Another significant factor was that Philadelphia threw ten steals (Korkmaz had the most - 3) while forcing their opponent to commit 20 turnovers. The 76ers had a lower field-goal percentage than the Hawks, but they made up for it with more shots.

The Sixers won 4 of their last five games and climbed to fifth place in the Eastern Conference for a reason, but they had a difficult time even in their good run. Philadelphia might have lost to Atlanta at home, and they were very close to losing to Orlando once. Cleveland is also having a lot of trouble and could use someone from the Mitchell-Garland duo to put up a good fight. The Cavaliers do not have a problem with their starting five, and the absence of Kevin Love may well compensate for Dean Wade, who is also more reliable on defense.

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