Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Player props, injury report and prediction | NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers unfastened their 2026-27 play against Philadelphia 76ers astatine Xfinity Mobile Arena with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown lone 1 crippled into their partnership.

Philadelphia bushed New York 106-100 connected Tuesday, portion Cleveland person played thing but preseason since a four-game decision by the aforesaid opponents successful the Eastern Conference finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers signifier and outlook

Cleveland finished the regular play 4th successful the East and survived 2 seven-game series, beating Toronto and past Detroit from 0-2 down.

New York past swept them, which is wherefore lone 1 triumph appears successful the Cavaliers' past 5 competitory games.

James Harden arrived from the Clippers successful February successful the commercialized that sent Darius Garland to Los Angeles, and helium present plays alongside Donovan Mitchell for a afloat season.

Peyton Watson, signed from Denver successful a sign-and-trade, is projected to start, portion Mario Hezonja returns to the NBA aft much than 2,200 days away.

Philadelphia's past 5 games are 4 play-off defeats by New York followed by Tuesday's win, successful which Maxey scored 28 points, Brown 19 and James 14 with 9 rebounds and 7 assists successful 34 minutes.

Preseason told america little, with Cleveland going 1-2 and Philadelphia 1-3, though the 76ers changeable lone 27.8% from 3 crossed those 4 games and Cleveland changeable 34.9%.

On past season's numbers, Cleveland's vantage lies connected offence, with a nett standing of +4.1 against -0.1 for Philadelphia.

The spread comes from scoring and passing alternatively than defence, since the 2 sides' antiaircraft ratings beryllium wrong 0.3 of each other.

Philadelphia's figures transportation the slightest weight, due to the fact that Brown, James, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope did not play for them past season.

Cleveland were 25-16 connected the roadworthy past season, scoring 119.9 points and conceding 116.2 distant from home.

The remainder representation favours the Cavaliers, who person been idle since preseason, portion Philadelphia play for the 2nd clip successful 3 nights without being connected a back-to-back.

What is the squad quality for Cavaliers vs. 76ers?

Cleveland's main uncertainty is Sam Merrill, who changeable 42.1% from 3 past play and is simply a game-time determination with close elbow soreness.

Khalifa Diop is besides a game-time determination with a genu occupation and has yet to play for the Cavaliers, portion Nae'Qwan Tomlin is retired with a little backmost accent reaction.

Philadelphia database Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Ariel Hukporti arsenic out, with Hukporti ruled retired for the play by a ruptured close Achilles, which leaves Joel Embiid and Adem Bona arsenic the main interior options.

Dean Wade, who spent 7 seasons successful Cleveland earlier signing for Philadelphia implicit the summer, is retired with a near ankle sprain connected immoderate listings and a game-time determination connected others.

Cleveland are projected to commencement Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, portion Philadelphia are projected to commencement Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid.

Simons scored 13 points and Caldwell-Pope 10 disconnected the Philadelphia seat connected Tuesday, portion rookie Labaron Philon Jr. did not play and Jabari Walker is besides disposable for minutes successful the frontcourt.

Cavaliers vs. 76ers matchups that could determine it

Mitchell and Maxey some scored adjacent to 28 points a crippled past play and some are apt to instrumentality the heaviest changeable loads, though Maxey present shares instauration duties with James and Brown.

Embiid faces Mobley and Allen for astir of the night, and aft shooting 4-of-15 successful New York helium volition privation a cleaner outing against Cleveland's two-big pairing.

Best Cavaliers vs. 76ers subordinate props

Cavaliers vs. 76ers head-to-head record

Cleveland won each 4 meetings past season, by 11, 26, 2 and 14 points.

The closest came connected 16 January, erstwhile Jaylon Tyson scored a career-high 39 points and Mobley dunked the victor with 4.8 seconds left, contempt 33 points from Embiid.

Those games came with antithetic rosters connected some sides, truthful the sides' adjacent 2 meetings, 1 of which is successful the NBA Cup radical stage in November, volition archer america much astir the new-look 76ers.

Our Cavaliers vs. 76ers tips and prediction

We expect Cleveland to borderline a slow-paced game, arsenic their rotation arrives intact astatine the apical portion Philadelphia are inactive moving retired however to stock the shot betwixt James, Brown, Maxey and Embiid.

The nether is the harder call, since Cleveland's roadworthy games averaged 236.1 combined points past season, but those games featured a rotation that has since mislaid Garland, Max Strus and Dennis Schroder.

A constrictive Cavaliers triumph would springiness them a bully commencement to the NBA schedule, with a location crippled against Brooklyn connected Saturday to follow.