NBA Basketball Matchup: Cavaliers vs 76ers
The Cleveland Cavaliers will aim to even the season series when they tip off against the Philadelphia 76ers, who although haven’t been paying very well as of late, may get back to their winning ways as Andre Iguodala returns to the lineup on Tuesday night.
Date/Time: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: NBA TV
Spread: OFF as of 12:45 AM PT
Over/Under: OFF
That’s not very good news for the slumping Cavaliers (17-29), who recently lost for the sixth time in seven games after receiving a pounding by Phoenix 108-83.
While the Cavs’ rough patch is already a bad enough situation, it could have gotten much worse with Antawn Jamison leaving with a bruised left leg and ankle on Sunday. However, the veteran forward did return to the game in the second quarter, and is likely to be on the court come game time against Philly.
That’s good news, as Jamison is averaging 18.0 points and 6.6 rebounds, and led Cleveland with 20 points in its lone meeting with the 76ers this season, a 99-84 home loss Feb. 11.
The Cavs’ will need all the help they can get in the City of Brotherly Love as the Sixers’ will go for a fourth consecutive victory come Tuesday night.
The Sixers’ (27-22) are desperate to ring up wins as they find themselves suddenly in a tight battle with Boston for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, after having lost 15 of 24 and its comfortable four-game lead over the Celts. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
But with All-Star Iguodala returning, Philly’s changes of getting back on the rails look much better.
And even though the 76ers have one of the deepest teams in the league with eight players averaging at least 8.2 points, including point guard Jrue Holiday who is putting up 13.8 PPG, they have sorely missed their go-to man.
Holiday scored a team-best 20 points and handed out five assists in the Sixers’ previous contest against the Cavs’, though he didn’t face Cleveland star Kyrie Irving due to a concussion.
The rookie point guard has enjoyed an outstanding first season, averaging 18.8 points with 5.6 assists per game.
Nevertheless, he has struggled defensively from time to time, as in his matchup with Suns’ star Steve Nash on Sunday. Something he will need to improve upon if he wants to help his team out of their current sag.
Free Pick: Philadelphia–
Cleveland had won five straight in this series and eight in a row in Philadelphia. But that was with LeBron James in six of those. The Cavaliers are now a mere shadow of their former selves, and I expect Iguodala, if back, to light it up.
