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Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia 76ers will take on the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday for their third meeting of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have little to show this season, but they do hold a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. Both sides will enter this contest on losing streaks and will be hungry to turn things around with a big win in Thursday's matchup.
Match Details
Fixture: Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction - NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Thursday, April 1st, 2021 7:00 PM ET. (Friday 4:30 AM IST)
Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers saw their four-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the LA Clippers on Saturday. They followed it up with another loss, falling to the Denver Nuggets 104-95 in their last game. As a result, the Philadelphia 76ers are now tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the pole position in the East with an identical 32-15 record.
In their loss to the Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers did not witness a single player score above 15 points. The team also got out-hustled on the boards by 17 rebounds for their 15th loss of the campaign. The 76ers will once again be without the services of their big man from Cameroon, Joel Embiid, for Thursday's contest.
The Philadelphia 76ers will look to Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons to rekindle their star-caliber form and bring them back to winning ways. The duo failed to make an impact in their previous outing as they combined for only 20 points and 5 assists in the loss to the Nuggets.
Key Player - Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris has taken his game to the next level this campaign as he continues to fill up the stat sheet with career-best numbers. More impressive, though, is the rate of efficiency he's contributing at. Harris is shooting the ball at 51.7% accuracy from the field while registering a respectable 40.4% from deep.
In Embiid's absence, Harris has taken over as the leader of the embattled Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 22 points last month (March) while also adding 7.4 boards and 4.3 assists in twelve games. The key to their success in this matchup lies in Tobias Harris' hands. With all things being equal, he should be able to help the Philadelphia 76ers bounce back with a big win against the Cavaliers on Thursday.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Seth Curry | Shooting Guard - Ben Simmons | Small Forward - Danny Green | Power Forward - Tobias Harris | Center - Dwight Howard
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their struggles with injuries ahead of this matchup. Several players have been in and out of rotations of late, which is hindering the team's performance.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will enter this matchup with a three-game losing streak that has placed them 13th in the East with a 17-30 record. They are coming off a devastating loss at the hands of the Utah Jazz, who thrashed them with a 114-75 scoreline in regulation. The result marks the 30th loss of the campaign for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The team will look to Collin Sexton and Darius Garland to lead the charge against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Both Sexton and Garland have been striving to keep their side afloat but have come up short as the team is still near the bottom end of their conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers will hope to get Jarrett Allen back in the lineup for Thursday night's game after missing his presence on the floor in the loss to the Jazz.
Key Player – Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton has been the best player on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster this season. He leads the team in the scoring department with a stellar average of 23.9 points in 40 games while also registering 1.1 steals per contest. The Cleveland Cavaliers hope to build a strong unit around Sexton and Allen to bring them back to relevancy in the East in the coming seasons. Sexton will undoubtedly have to produce a huge outing against the 76ers to pull off an upset.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard – Collin Sexton, Shooting Guard – Darius Garland, Small Forward – Dean Wade, Power Forward – Isaac Okoro, Center – Isaiah Hartenstein
76ers vs Cavaliers Match Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers are the heavy favorites to win this tie. Despite Embiid's absence, the 76ers have plenty of star-caliber players to take the win on the road. As things stand now, Doc Rivers' men can't afford to lose another game as it will allow the red-hot Brooklyn Nets to takeover the top of the Eastern Conference standings. This could serve as ample motivation for the 76ers to launch another winning streak to keep ahead of the competition.
On the other end, the Cleveland Cavaliers are finding it difficult to keep their head above water and will face an uphill battle in this matchup. The Cavaliers have defeated the 76ers twice this season, but face challenging odds in this fixture.
Watch out for Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons as they endeavor to turn the tides back in their favor. Expect the Philadelphia 76ers to win this matchup.
Where to watch 76ers vs Cavaliers?
The game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be telecast on Bally Sports Ohio and NBC Sports Philadelphia. Fans can also live stream the game via the NBA League Pass.
