The Philadelphia 76ers will renew their rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, but this game promises to have a different look to it with so many players missing in action for the home team.
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
As Philly gets set to play yet another game with a depleted frontcourt, we'll examine what that could mean for its two lead men -- and who should benefit the most on Cleveland's side of the ball.
Let's build a same-game parlay for Cavaliers vs 76ers on Friday, January 24 and lay out a few props that will work well as standalone straight bets as well.
NBA Parlay Predictions for Cavaliers vs 76ers
DraftKings NBA Odds for Cavaliers vs 76ers SGP: +440
- Tyrese Maxey 35+ Points + Assists
- Paul George Over 11.5 Rebounds + Assists
- Darius Garland 7+ Assists
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Tyrese Maxey 35+ Points + Assists
The first man we have to turn to here as we digest this mess of an injury report is Tyrese Maxey. The star guard has been on fire of late, carrying unquestioned volume into this game with an average of 22 field goal attempts and 38.5 minutes over his last 10, and can't be overlooked even in a game with blowout potential.
- Maxey has hit this number in six of his last eight games, putting up 30.6 points and 7.4 assists on average, and will enter into a pace-up game against a Cavaliers defense which ranks just 24th this month after a blistering start to the year.
In that time, Cleveland has allowed 27.7 assists per 100 possessions to rank in the bottom 10 of the league, and a dreadful showing in the short-mid range and a brutal 38.1% 3-point defense is to blame.
Maxey should have no issues feeding the ball down low or swinging it around the perimeter into open looks, and he should continue scoring the ball well given the short mid-range is his bread and butter. He's also taken a bunch of 3s this year, and while his numbers haven't been great he has at least shot 36% in the last two games to promise some hope against a vulnerable perimeter defense.
Paul George Over 11.5 Rebounds + Assists
I think George has a very good shot at a double-double in this game with the way he's stuffed the stat sheet, so a number this low is quite enticing for me.
- The veteran has posted two double-doubles in his last four games, averaging 7.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists over that span, and draws an excellent matchup against a Cavaliers team which has continued to struggle on the boards to compound its issues on defense.
George will slide over to power forward for this game with Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond and KJ Martin all out, and that's been a sore spot for Cleveland who has allowed the third-most rebounds to the position this year.
We've already covered the issues which Cleveland has had above as well as it pertains to assists coming from opposing players, and George has shown an equal amount of prowess in this area as well with nine assists in just 28 minutes last time out against Denver.
George has hit this prop in four of his last five games, and his usage shouldn't be in question here with so many players missing for Philly. After resting on a back-to-back and sitting the second half against Denver in a 35-point loss, he's played just 28 minutes in the last nine games. This one would seem to be liable to a blowout, but that didn't prevent George from cashing in once again last game -- and the line may very well be off here with how bad Cleveland has defended.
Darius Garland 7+ Assists
The biggest impact Embiid's absence has made on the Sixers has come on defense, where they've fallen by over 12 points per 100 possessions in the minutes Embiid has spent off the floor, and that should lift Darius Garland to another great game here.
- As Philly has dealt with Embiid's absence for most of this month, it's owned the worst defensive rating in the league and allowed the most assists per 100 possessions to its opponents.
Garland has racked up seven or more helpers in six of his last eight games, and should be able to dump the ball down low for easy buckets all game long. Without Embiid, this Sixers team has been among the worst in rim defense, and the Cavaliers have shown great ability down low with the third-best field goal percentage at the rim this month.
It can be tricky to play props with Cleveland's two-headed attack in the backcourt, but Garland has emerged as the primary facilitator with Donovan Mitchell trailing in the assist column, and he should easily pick apart this very weak defense.
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