Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers 3/16/22: Starting Lineups, Odds, Predictions
Contents
Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Matchup Preview (3/16/22)
The Philadelphia 76ers (41-26) take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-29) in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Wednesday night. The 76ers are 6-3 since James Harden first suited up for them. Over that span, they are 12th in both Offensive and Defensive Rating. The 76ers are coming off a close 114-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The game was a narrative boost for the winner, as the two frontrunners (Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid) for MVP were battling. Embiid scored 34 points on 55 FG% and grabbed 9 rebounds. James Harden narrowly missed a triple-double with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists. Tyrese Maxey added 19 points on 53.8 FG%. Defensive menace Matisse Thybulle racked up an astounding 6 steals and 2 blocks. However, the Nuggets prevailed in the end. Jokic produced 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists on 50 FG%. Will Barton scored 20 points on 50 FG%. The 76ers dominated the 1st quarter 37-22, but they semi-collapsed throughout the rest of the game. Embiid was a late addition to the injury report becasue of back discomfort. He is a game time decision, and the optics of this game change if he cannot go.
The Cavaliers are 4-6 in their last 10 games with the 23rd Offensive Rating and 17th Defensive Rating. They just beat the Clippers 120-111 in overtime and saw Darius Garland hit a clutch three pointer near the end of regulation. Garland finished with 24 points and 13 assists on 38.0 FG%. Jarrett Allen was out, so rookie Evan Mobley anchored the paint to the tune of 30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 59.0 FG%. Defensive specialist Isaac Okoro scored 20 points on only 6 shots; he went 11/13 from the charity stripe. Caris LeVert made his return after missing 9 games. He added 11 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Without Allen, the Clippers were able to penetrate the paint. Ivica Zubac had a great game – 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Cavaliers escaped with the win, but they have a tough contest in front of them. Allen is out once again, but Rajon Rondo and Dean Wade are game time decisions.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Odds
The 76ers are 2-0 against the Cavaliers this season. They won 103-93 on February 12th behind Embiid’s dominant performance of 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. The 76ers won again 125-119 on March 4th. Maxey, Harden, and Embiid combined for 80 points, while Garland posted 26 points and 19 assists. I like the 76ers to stay undefeated and push their record to 3-0 against the Cavaliers this season. Jarrett Allen’s injury is a huge loss for the Cavaliers, and Caris LeVert is still getting back into rhythm. If Embiid cannot play, the game will be a coin flip to me. If he is playing, the 76ers look good to win this game.
If you're in a state with legal sports betting, you can bet on this game! Lineups has exclusive new sign up bonuses from the top legal Sportsbooks online.
TV Schedule
Date: 3/16/22
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, OH
Channel: NBA League Pass
Live Stream Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Free Online: Watch Every NBA Game
You can stream this game online for free. You can get a free 7-day trial and live stream NBA games from any device. Click the banner below and start watching.
Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup
PG: James Harden
SG: Tyrese Maxey
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers Analysis
Assuming he plays, this game will be the Joel Embiid show. Evan Mobley has been a great defensive rookie, but he is more comfortable guarding forwards, not burly centers. Jarrett Allen would have been a solid choice to guard Embiid, but he cannot go due to injury. Embiid is leading the league in scoring (29.9 PPG) and free throw attempts per game (11.9 FTA). He knows that he must close out the season with a dominant stretch to win MVP, so I expect him to show up with a vengeance. He had a solid showing against Jokic, but they lost in a perception-defining game. The Cavaliers have struggled all season to neutralize the pick and roll, which is a bad omen when the opponent can throw a James Harden-Joel Embiid pick and roll. The offense is in good hands here because of the favorable matchup in the paint.
Defensively, they can place DPOY-candidate Matisse Thybulle on any guard or forward. Darius Garland orchestrates the offense, so limiting his production with Thybulle would reduce his impact. Thybulle had 6 steals (!) against the Nuggets, and he can create easy points off of turnovers for the 76ers. Isaac Okoro prefers to operate inside the three point line and drive, so Harden can mark him defensively. Harden’s deceptive strength and size will counter Okoro nicely. LeVert is a mismatch for Maxey, but it’s preferable for LeVert to have the offensive mismatch than for Garland to have it.
Cleveland Cavaliers Starting Lineup
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Isaac Okoro
SF: Caris LeVert
PF: Lauri Markkanen
C: Evan Mobley
Cleveland Cavaliers Analysis
The Cavaliers need Garland to both orchestrate the offense and score. The 76ers are a significant offensive force, so it will take a great game to match them. Garland put up 26 points and 19 assists against the 76ers on March 4th. Even though he won’t replicate that success, a stat line of 20+ points and 12+ assists is crucial. If the 76ers do place Thybulle on Garland, then Caris LeVert needs to punish them. He’s a crafty shot maker who can take opponents off the dribble. He came off the bench last game, but he was able to play 25 minutes. The Cavaliers need him to shake off the rust and hit jump shots.
The two essential frontcourt players are Evan Mobley and Kevin Love. Mobley will have his hands full with Embiid, but now is the time to continue his recent production. In his last 5 games, he is averaging 21.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.8 BPG on 55.6 FG%. Forcing Embiid to expend energy on the defensive end would go a long way towards limiting him. If the Cavaliers can get Embiid into foul trouble, the optics of the game would completely change. Off the bench, Kevin Love is a high variance player. He’s averaging 13.8 PPG on 39 3PT%, but he is prone to either stuffing the box score or having a quiet night. He’s been more consistent recently; however, that scoring range has been 9-15 points. The Cavaliers need 18+ points on 4+ threes from him in order to win the bench matchup. Cedi Osman is also a reliable bench scorer (11.0 PPG) who can create his own shot. If the Cavaliers lose the bench minutes, they will struggle to win this game.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Daily Fantasy Picks
I like Embiid, Harden, and Garland in this game. Embiid is a walking double-double who can drop 30 with ease. His matchup is decent here, and I expect him to avenge his loss to Jokic. Harden constantly flirts with a triple-double and controls ball handling duties. The Cavaliers may stick Okoro on him and put Garland on the smaller Tyrese Maxey, but I still like his production if that happens. The reality is that Harden and Embiid are favorable every game they play. If you could only pick one of them, I would take Embiid here. For the Cavaliers side, Garland will be the best production-wise. Mobley has a tough matchup against Embiid in the paint, and LeVert is still rusty. Garland controls the ball for the Cavaliers and is a crafty scorer. Look for him to produce another double-double. Thybulle could be a problem, but I don’t think the 76ers will actually assign him to guard Garland.
