Sixers Laying 7 Points in Cleveland With Ben Simmons Out at Least 2+ Weeks

• Philly travels to Cleveland to face the last-place Cavs on Wednesday night, who are coming off an overtime stunner of a win against the Heat on Monday
• The Sixers will be without Ben Simmons for at least two weeks after he injured his back on Saturday night in a loss to the Bucks
• Get the odds, pick, and betting preview for Wednesday’s contest below

The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, tipping off at 7 PM EST in the first game of a back to back for Brett Brown’s team.

Philly is 2-1 since the All-Star break, with wins over Brooklyn and the Atlanta Hawks, while losing to the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Cleveland meanwhile, are currently the second-worst team in the NBA at 16-41.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Odds

Odds taken Feb 25

Even without Ben Simmons, the latest Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers odds favor the away team at -290 on the moneyline.

Simmons Absence a Huge Blow to Philly

When Ben Simmons went down with a back injury within the first five minutes of Saturday night’s contest against Milwaukee, it instantly raised concerns for this team. It’s now been announced that he will miss at least two weeks and will be re-evaluated further at that time.

Ben Simmons will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks for nerve impingement in lower back, but there's little expectation that he'd be ready to return to lineup that soon, sources tell ESPN. Doctors are hopeful treatment can drive improvement, but Sixers are preparing to play without him.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 25, 2020

Now, the Sixers must find a way to win basketball games and still compete in the Eastern Conference without one of their stars. Monday night was a positive start, beating the Hawks by 17 thanks to Joel Embiid’s 49 points and 14 boards.

Luckily just five of their next 18 games, which would take them into early April, are against playoff teams.

Philly faces the Lakers and Clippers early next month, with the Raptors, Pacers, and Rockets ahead on the schedule. Other than that, the Sixers face a lot of teams who aren’t even in contention.

If Embiid and Tobias Harris can continue to play at a high level as they did on Monday night, they will be just fine. In three contests since the break, Embiid has poured in at least 35 points on two separate occasions – with the Sixers winning both.

Nightmares in Cleveland

Although John Beilein resigned after the Cavs’ disastrous first half of the season, it’s just one of many problems within the Cavs team.

They currently sit last in defensive rating and turnovers, while scoring just 106.6 points per contest, which is fourth-last in the association.

However, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are showing well. Sexton is pouring in a team-best 19.7 points per game, while Garland is dropping 12.3 points per contest in his rookie season.

With the addition of Andre Drummond, it gives them a very good big who is a proven player in this league and a possible building block for the future. Add in Kevin Porter Jr, who put up 30 points in Cleveland’s win over Miami on Monday, and you have a talented young core that could be fantastic in the coming years.

Lay the Points With Philly

Even though the Sixers are without Simmons, they shouldn’t have any problem taking down the Cavs on Wednesday night. Embiid continues to put up monstrous numbers on a nightly basis and with others on the team knowing they need to step up with their star point guard out, I believe Brett Brown’s squad should easily secure a win in this contest.

Pick: Philly -7(-110)