Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. As NBA fans should be aware, Mitchell was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Cavs at the start of last season and instantly managed to turn the Cavaliers into a playoff team in their post-LeBron James era.
At the moment, the Cavs hold a record of 7 wins and 6 losses. That gives them the 8th position in the Eastern Conference. They will be taking on one of the best teams in the league tonight by facing the 76ers. Many of us know that the 76ers have started off the 2023-2024 NBA season very well and currently hold a record of 10 wins and 3 losses, giving them the 2nd seed.
As both these teams get ready to face off, let us take a look at the injury reports and expected starting lineups in order to find out who will be playing. A prediction for this match between the Cavs and 76ers will also be made.
Donovan Mitchell is listed out for the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers game tonight
Cleveland Cavaliers fans will be disappointed to hear that Mitchell does not look completely healthy and is expected to miss this game against the 76ers tonight. Spida sustained a hamstring injury and has not stepped on the court for the Cavs over the past few games. Despite losing their best scorer, the Cavaliers have done their best to stay in the running for a playoff spot.
They are expected to be without him tonight as well. According to the injury reports, Mitchell is listed as out as is still dealing with a hamstring injury. Therefore, the Cavs will have to put forward their best lineup if they wish to get a win against the 76ers. That said, here are the complete injury reports and expected starting lineups for the Cavs and 76ers.
Cleveland Cavaliers injury report
- Donovan Mitchell (out)
- Ricky Rubio (out)
- Issac Okoro (out)
- Ty Jerome (out)
- Caris LeVert (questionable)
Cleveland Cavaliers expected starting lineup
- Darius Garland
- Max Strus
- Evan Mobley
- Dean Wade
- Jarrett Allen
Philadelphia 76ers injury report
- Kelly Oubre Jr. (out)
Philadelphia 76ers expected starting lineup
- Tyrese Maxey
- De’Anthony Melton
- Tobias Harris
- Nicholas Batum
- Joel Embiid
As we can tell, the Cleveland Cavaliers have quite a lot of players on the injury report when compared to the Philadelphia 76ers. Be that as it may, here are the predictions for this game.
The 76ers are favored over the Cavs tonight
Although the Cavaliers have been playing remarkably well over the past few games and are on a 3-game winning streak, they will not be favored tonight against the 76ers. After all, Tyrese Maxey has taken a step forward and has turned the 76ers into one of the best teams in the East. Having the reigning MVP on his team certainly helps.
Since the 76ers have a greater amount of talent, and experience and are healthier when compared to the Cavaliers, we expect them to win tonight. However, fans shouldn’t be too surprised if the Cavs make it a close game given the way they have been playing over the past 3 games.