Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction: First win for Mitchell in Cavaliers

Cleveland was just short of winning their last face-off against Philadelphia on the road. The Cavaliers will try to get revenge at home. Will Donovan Mitchell be able to bring his new team their first win?

In just one year, the Cavaliers went from Eastern Conference underdog to undisputed playoff contender, and we won't see the real potential of this team until the regular season. Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland made it to the All-Star Game last season, and now Donovan Mitchell has been added. There's also Evan Mobley, whose star potential is undeniable, and it's possible the young big man will make significant progress in his 2nd season. Caris LeVert may well transform and benefit Cleveland coming off the bench, but overall the Cavaliers' reserve is not yet impressive. The club signed Raul Neto, Robin Lopez and Ricky Rubio over the summer, with the latter still recovering from injury. In addition to Rubio, Dylan Windler and Evan Mobley are still in the sack, the latter is unlikely to appear on the floor in the remaining preseason games.

So far J.B. Bickerstaff's men have played only one preseason game: on the road they lost 112-131 to Philadelphia. None of the Cavaliers players spent more than 20 minutes on the floor, so the reserves got a chance to show themselves. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell had a decent game overall as they made 10 of 16 shots from the field for 12 and 16 points respectively. The team shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc, with Kevin Love and Dean Wade scoring well in addition to Mitchell and Garland. Cleveland lost the home court battle but also frequently allowed their opponent to turn the ball over which eventually resulted in a narrow margin.

The Sixers intend to fight for the championship in the coming season, and any other result for them would be a failure. Daryl Morey has done a great job over the year and rebuilt the team, not only getting a star player in James Harden, but also strengthening the bench. P.J. Tucker will be the backup to Joel Embiid under the basket and Philadelphia as a whole should improve on defense. Montrezl Harrell and Danuel House should be useful on offense, and we also have De'Anthony Melton, Furkan Korkmaz, and Matisse Thybulle, so the Sixers' depth chart should be fine. If Tyrese Maxey continues to progress, the Phils will become one of the top favorites in the East, and so far the young guard has not disappointed. The good news is that Philadelphia is virtually injury-free, with only Montrezl Harrell potentially not playing against Cleveland.

Tyrese Maxey scored 20+ points in both preseason games, and Philadelphia ended up with 2 wins. We already mentioned the game with Cleveland, so let's talk more about the meeting with Brooklyn (127-108). The Cavaliers won the game on someone else's court, without Embiid on the floor. Harden wasn't in the rotation either, but the Sixers' sharpshooters contributed to their success. Julian Champagnie, Isaiah Joe, Furkan Korkmaz and Georges Niang made at least 40 percent of their three-pointers, although their team shooting percentage was only 34.1.

In their last 10 head-to-head encounters, Philadelphia has defeated Cleveland seven times. In their last meeting in the NBA regular season, the Sixers were stronger on the road with a 112-108 score. Evan Mobley, Collin Sexton, Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade did not play for the Cavaliers, while Philadelphia's squad was optimal.

• Cleveland lost 6 of 10 home matches;
• Philadelphia won 5 of the last 10 matches on the road;
• Cleveland allowed over 110 points in 4 of the last 5 matches.

The NBA season is about to begin, and gradually the coaches need to give more playing time to their leaders. That said, even without Embiid and Harden, Philadelphia is doing well on offense, and in last week's meeting with Cleveland, they didn't reach their full offensive potential. Garland and Mitchell will try to bring the Cavaliers a win on their home court, and even with a lineup that is far from optimal, J.B. Bickerstaff's men fought decently against the Sixers. We suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• TO (222.5) for 1.60;
• W1 (incl. OT) for 1.49;
• H1 (-1.5) for 1.64.

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