NBA Picks: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland is prepared for a pair of back-to-back road games against Philadelphia and Washington, while looking to snap a three-game losing streak since winning the season opener. Guard Mo Williams scored 12 points off the bench in the team’s 100-88 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday after missing the first three games with a groin injury. “We haven’t been fully healthy and with this team, we need everyone,” he commented. “We just have to regroup.” Forward Antawn Jamison was missing from the lineup last time out and is questionable to play tonight with a sore knee. The Cavaliers swept the season series last year with the 76ers with an average margin of victory of 6.0 points per game. Cleveland is 16-18 ATS as an underdog the past three years.

The Cavaliers have gone 6-0 versus tonight’s opponent over the last two years, but will be missing star LeBron James, who has left and gone to Miami. Starting small forward Jamario Moon is averaging 6.3 points, which is 23.4 shy of what James provided during the 2009-10 campaign. One player that has stepped up his game is J.J. Hickson, who’s averaging a team-high 18.3 points and 5.5 rebounds. He scored a career-high 31 points last time out. “We have to get back to the drawing board,” he commented. “See what we did wrong throughout the whole game and get ready for Philly.”

Philadelphia captured its first victory of the season in impressive fashion with a 101-75 home win over the Indiana Pacers. “I’m extremely happy for our guys and how hard they’ve worked to be rewarded with this win,” first-year head coach Doug Collins stated. He was unable to enjoy the second of the game due to suffering from vertigo, a condition that forced him to miss consecutive preseason games earlier this year. The Sixers limited Indiana to 28-for-89 shooting and won the battle on the boards by a 54-46 margin. Philadelphia had six players score in double-figures and forward Elton Brand paced the squad with 25 points and 12 rebounds. The team is 34-49 ATS at home the last three years.

The Sixers will look forward to not facing James in a Cavs jersey anymore, as they averaged just 95.7 points while giving up 101.7 in the series last year. Brand must continue his solid play in the paint for this team to make the next step, averaging a team-high 18.0 points and 9.6 rebounds. Offensively, the team has scored 100-plus points in three of the past four games and went 18-16 last season when reaching that mark.

Bettors will likely lay the Cavaliers due to their 1-5 ATS mark versus the Eastern Conference, but the Sixers are 1-4 ATS as a home favorite.