Filip Tomic
NBA
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The Cavaliers have an opportunity to further complicate things at the top of the Eastern Conference if they can beat Philadelphia tonight. This will be the third and final meeting this season between the teams, and whoever wins gets the tie-breaker. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN, and I’ve prepared a Same Game Parlay which you can find below.
We will also have NBA predictions for the 6 other games being played this Wednesday, including part 2 of the ESPN doubleheader in the Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers game. Without wasting any more time, let’s jump into my bet.
Philadelphia 76ers 1-10 win margin (+175)
Tyrese Maxey to score 20+ points (-105)
Joel Embiid over 0.5 made threes (-200)
Parlay odds: +646
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Philadelphia 76ers 1–10 win margin (+175)
On paper the 76ers have a comfortable lead over the Cavaliers in 3rd place with 3 games separating the teams. However, they cannot relax tinight as a Cleveland win would make the teams level on the number of wins and also give the Cavs the tiebreaker, which would come in play if they ended the season with identical records. Because of that, the Sixers cannot afford to ease off and I don’t think they will. They’ve been the best team by a number of metrics since James Harden returned to the lineup a few months ago. They’re on a 5-game win streak, and on the road they’ve won 13 of their last 16. The head-to-head meetings have gone the Sixers’ way 6 times in the last 7, so it’s pretty obvious why they’re the favorites. The Cavs won’t go away easily, as they are on a solid run of 7 wins in 8 home games, so I’m expecting a close finish. Can you imagine a similar ending to tonight’s game as Philly had against Portland? Joel Embiid hitting another game winner would completely shift the MVP odds in his favor. I’m backing the Sixers in a close one.
Our NBA Wednesday mega parlay has +719 odds!
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Tyrese Maxey to score 20+ points (-105)
Having Tyrese Maxey will be of great value for Philadelphia in this game as his speed and pace are unmatched and the Cavaliers rank dead last in pace of play. Philadelphia’s strategy will be to get stops on the defensive end and dish the ball to Maxey, which worked to perfection in 2 of the last 4 meetings between the teams, with Maxey scoring 33 and 25 points in those games. Over his last 10 he’s averaging 20.1 points while shooting over 50% from the field and over 46% from 3-point land. If it wasn’t for games in which he had just 8 points against Boston and Washington, those numbers would have been a lot higher. Prior to his last 2 outings, he was on a streak of 6 games in a row of 20+ points, so getting back to those numbers shouldn’t be an issue. Cleveland’s perimeter defense has fallen off over the last 3 games, allowing opponents to make 41.1% of their 3-point attempts, so look for Maxey and others to capitalize.
Joel Embiid over 0.5 made threes (-200)
I’m also expecting Joel Embiid to take advantage of the poor 3-point defense of the Cavs. The big fella is trying his best to make a late case for the MVP award, and the recent struggles of the Nuggets and his main rival Nikola Jokic have given him new hope of winning the award. He hasn’t had the best of games against the Cavs this year, and in 2 meetings he averages just 24 points, but given he dominant streak he’s been on that could be about to change. Over his last 10 games he has averaged 35 points a night, and his 3-point shot is falling at a 34.8% clip, while on the road that number is 40.3%. Embiid has faced the Cavs 17 times in his career, making 1.4 threes per game against them on almost 47% shooting, which is exceptional for a player of his size. After failing to make a three in his last 2 games, he should make at least one tonight.
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