76ers vs Cavaliers Odds, Pick, Prediction | NBA Betting

Here's everything you need to know about 76ers vs. Cavaliers on Friday, Mar. 29 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

The Philadelphia 76ers found some brief reprieve for their horrific run of play following the injury to Joel Embiid, but over the last five games they've gone right back to their losing ways with loss after loss.

With some encouraging results, however, might they be able to find another win against the spread in a tough road matchup with Cleveland?

Let's get into the numbers and find some value here.

The Sixers continue to toil away without Embiid, going 6-9 this month behind one of the worst offenses in the Eastern Conference. If there's a bit of good news here, though, it's that the Sixers have at least looked somewhat competent on defense over the past six games and, as noted above, have managed to go on a decent run against the spread.

Philly has had to play a brutal schedule over that span, facing Miami, Phoenix, Sacramento, plus the Lakers and Clippers a total of three times. Since the middle of March, the Sixers rank ninth on the defensive side of the ball while their offense has continued to fall short and produce just 109.3 points per 100 possessions.

The Sixers have been at their best around the rim, ranking seventh in opponent field goal percentage within four feet, while defending the mid-range with excellence. Their rebounding numbers continue to be poor, as well as their shooting within four feet, so it's hard to say this frontcourt has really stepped up in the absence of Embiid but at least things have leveled a bit defensively.

This team still struggles to defend the three-point line, and on the other side of the court it is shooting just 34.6% from deep since March 15. With that said, the three-point shot remains the main way that Philly will try to score, so it will be the zone to watch on Friday.

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Well, it just so happens that the Cavaliers have been one of the tougher teams to attack from deep, ranking 13th for the season and 13th for the month according to Cleaning the Glass. They've dropped off significantly this month at the rim, but given the issues we laid out above with the Sixers that shouldn't too grave a concern here.

The offensive end of the ball has really been the reason we've seen Cleveland go from a good team to a great one, but its success there has seemed to wane as its ranked 23rd in efficiency during March. Things have picked up over the last two games, though given those two positive showings came against the Hornets, it's hard to take them seriously.

With all of that said, the Cavaliers continue shoot from beyond the arc with greater efficiency and have even taken a step forward further this month with 37.7% of their looks falling according to Cleaning the Glass. Against a poor perimeter defense, this should really open the game up for the home team and mask some of the glaring issues it's had scoring at the rim.

I see a matchup here that both defenses should thrive in. Sure, the Sixers have been burned by the outside shot lately, but the meat of this Cavs offense lies in their ability to get to — and score at — the rim. Philly has been excellent in that regard, and on the flip side Cleveland has done more than enough on the perimeter defensively to take care of a team which has had a dreadful time shooting the ball.

Darius Garland should play here, but we will have to watch the status of Donovan Mitchell as we approach tip. Regardless, I think all signs point to the under. While it sounds like a great idea in theory to back an improving Sixers team which has gone on a great run ATS, they may have no ways to score the ball against one of the best defenses in the league even despite a recent spark.

I'd play this one all the way down to 210 points in a game which should be a painful watch, particularly if Mitchell is out.

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