Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers: Match Preview and Predictions - 7th December 2019
Match details
Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers
Date & Time: Saturday, 7 December 2019, 7:30 pm. ET.
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Last game results
Cleveland Cavaliers (5-16): 87-93 loss to the Orlando Magic (Friday, 6 December 2019)
Philadelphia 76ers (15-7): 113-119 loss to the Washington Wizards(Thursday, 5 December 2019)
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers appear headed for another lottery pick in 2020 as they have completed the first quarter of this season at a dismal 5-16. The Cavaliers are 1-9 in their last 10 games and suffered a close loss to the Orlando Magic Friday night, 93-87.
The Cavs outshot their opponents 42.2 to 39 percent but allowed the Magic 23 trips to the foul line out of which the Magic made 20. The Cavs were led by Collin Sexton with 19 points and Larry Nance Jr. with 11 rebounds.
Key Player – Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton is following up on his rookie season with a strong sophomore return. The point guard is the offensive leader of this edition for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Including his 19 points on Friday night, Sexton is averaging 18.1 points in just over 30 minutes a game for the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers predicted lineup
Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr.
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers are having a good season. They are 15-7 one quarter of the way through the season, and hold the 5th seed in the East.
That said, Thursday night the 76ers did suffer a 113-119 loss to an offensive-minded Washington Wizards. While 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris combined for 59 points, they could not contain Bradley Beal, Davis Bertans and rookie Rui Hachimura who combined for 78 points (each scored 25 points or more).
Philadelphia will face Cleveland on Saturday sporting a one-game losing streak, but standing 10-0 at home this season.
Key Player – Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is the main star of the Philadelphia 76ers. He has played in 18 games this season with 12 double-doubles, and is averaging 22.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocked shots per game.
While his scoring average is down about 5 points from the 27.5 he averaged last season, the 76ers appear to have a stronger and deeper team this time and Embiid is still their best offensive option.
76ers predicted lineup
Ben Simmons, Furkan Korkmaz, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, Al Horford
Cavaliers vs 76ers Match Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers are winning games by the dozen but they are not an explosive offensive team, averaging just 108.8 points per game (17th in the NBA) on 40.4 made field goals (15th in the NBA). They also take make just 86.1 field goal attempts per game (27th in the NBA).
The 76ers will need to be careful not to play down to their competition as they rank 28th in the NBA in turnovers at 16.7 per game, and Cleveland average about 15.1 per game.
Cleveland could make Philadelphia work hard because they are close in points in the paint, averaging 46.4 to Philly’s 47. Free throw attempts could favor the Cavaliers too as Philly commit 22.9 fouls a game leading to 23 attempts for opponents and the Cavaliers average 22.1 attempts a game.
The 76ers who are undefeated in Philadelphia, and they would also be looking ahead to Sunday when they play the Toronto Raptors. This should likely be a victory for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Where to watch Cavaliers vs Sixers?
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on NBATV and Fox Sports-Ohio.