The No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference will be up for grabs when the Cleveland Cavaliers hit the road to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers in a pivotal late-season contest this week. Cleveland has held the spot for nearly the entire season but Philadelphia is charging hard.
These teams have identical records and Philadelphia boasts the home court advantage, so the 76ers should be favored to come away with the victory. The Cavaliers have been playing well of late but not as good as 76ers, and the winner here will be in the driver’s seat to claim the No. 3 seed heading into the playoffs in NBA basketball betting lines.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 6, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on NBATV.
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Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 48-30 straight up and 30-47-1 against the spread on the season. Cleveland has covered in 17 of 39 attempts on the road this season. The Cavs have only been the underdog 16 times this season and have done a nice job in those games, covering in 11 of them.
The 76ers are also 48-30 straight up and have gone 46-30-2 against the spread. Philadelphia has covered an impressive 26 times in 38 home games. The 76ers are 32-18 against the spread as the favorite this season.
Key Stat
13. That’s the number of wins in a row the 76ers have reeled off to vault up the standings and into a tie with the Cavaliers for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is the hottest team in the NBA and has suddenly become a group that no one is interested in facing in the postseason.
The 76ers have won nine of those games by double digits so they have really been overpowering opponents. Philadelphia knocked off the Detroit Pistons last time out to pull even with Cleveland in the standings.
The Cavaliers are playing nearly as well. They have won four consecutive games and nine of their last 10. It would be wild to see a team playing that well get leap-frogged in the standings but it will happen if the 76ers can claim this victory.
Injury Report
The 76ers will be without star center Joel Embiid, who will be out for an extended period with an orbital fracture. On the one hand it is a critical blow as Embiid is one of the most talented young big men in the game.
On the other, the 76ers have done just fine without him as the winning streak continues. Ben Simmons is quickly ascending into superstar territory even though he is a rookie. Simmons is averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists per contest.
Simmons had a triple-double in a recent win over the Hawks and is capable of pulling that off at any time. He won’t be the most well-rounded player on the court, as that honor will obviously go to LeBron James, but Simmons is quickly developing into a star.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavaliers are playing a solid brand of basketball and James will be the best player on the court. The return of Kevin Love has given this team a boost as the second go-to guy on the team. Cleveland should be able to keep this one close, but the 76ers are playing a great brand of basketball and have the superior team chemistry.
Take the 76ers to win this game in the final minutes, although the Cavaliers should be the pick to cover the NBA basketball spread provided they are the underdog in NBA basketball wagering.
NBA Odds: 76ers 108, Cavaliers 107
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