MetroBet takes a looks at the NBA slate for Wednesday with the Cavaliers taking on the 76ers and the Blazers facing the Clippers.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers (-14)
Moneyline: Cavaliers +800, Sixers -1400
Betting Total: 221.5 points
Time (Eastern): 7 p.m.
Both the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-50) and the Philadelphia 76ers (42-25) will be lacking some star power at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night, as Cavs power forward Kevin Love (18.6 points per game) and Sixers shooting guard Jimmy Butler (18.9 points per game) will be rested. Despite what these former All-Stars bring to the table offensively, their defense is what will truly be missed, so it’s a good bet that this game will go Over.
Joel Embiid was ruthlessly efficient in his first game back from a knee injury on Sunday. In 28 minutes against a defensively-minded Pacers squad, the All-Star center logged 33 points and 12 rebounds. Small forward Tobias Harris tallied 16 points and has reached double figures in every game since he became a Sixer (13). Point guard Ben Simmons has been remarkably consistent in his last five outings, averaging 17.8 points and 8.4 assists.
The Cavs are 22nd in points allowed per game this year (113.3) and last in opponent field goal percentage (49.1). That does not bode well against a Philly team that is highly proficient on offense, ranking top 10 in scoring, shooting percentage and rebounding.
However, Cleveland is 6-5 over their last 11 games and just beat the Raptors on Monday night. Rookie point guard Collin Sexton has made strides in his last two contests, scoring 27 and 28 points, respectively. The Cavs may keep this game from getting completely out of hand, but not before the total is exceeded.
The play: Cavaliers vs. Sixers Over
Portland Trail Blazers (-2) at Los Angeles Clippers
Moneyline: Trail Blazers -130, Clippers +110
Betting Total: 233 points
Time (Eastern): 10:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles Clippers (39-29) enter Tuesday night’s Staples Center showdown on a five-game win streak (and seven-game cover streak), while the Portland Trail Blazers (40-26) have lost three of their last five, with their most recent win over the Suns coming by just seven when they were favored by 12. Underdog bettors should be all over L.A. here.
Sixth man Lou Williams scored 34 points against the Celtics and, per Covers.com, passed Dell Curry to become the all-time leading bench scorer in NBA history. That came on the heels of a 40-point effort by Williams against the Thunder. Small forward Danilo Gallinari (19.3 points per game) has been in a groove of late too, averaging 24.2 points over his last five games, as has point guard Landry Shamet (9.0 points per game), who’s averaged 15.0 points per game in the same span.
Portland point guard Damian Lillard dropped 51 on the Thunder just two games ago and has averaged 31.3 points per contest in his last three against the Clippers, but a similar effort may not be enough based on the way L.A. is playing right now.
The play: Clippers spread
