Halftime Report

Only two more quarters stand between the Cavaliers and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the 76ers 66-55.

The Cavaliers entered the matchup having won three straight and they’re just two quarters away from another. Will they make it four, or will the 76ers step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Current Records: Philadelphia 9-16, Cleveland 24-4

How To Watch

• When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
• Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, Ohio
• TV: FanDuel SN – Ohio
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $25.00

What to Know

The Cavaliers are on a five-game streak of home wins, while the 76ers are on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. Both will face off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. One look at the odds and it’s safe to say the Cavaliers are not losing any sleep ahead of Saturday’s contest.

On Friday, the Cavaliers made easy work of the Bucks and carried off a 124-101 victory. Cleveland pushed the score to 103-76 by the end of the third, a deficit Milwaukee cut but never quite recovered from.

The Cavaliers can attribute much of their success to Donovan Mitchell, who went 9 for 15 en route to 27 points plus six assists and two steals. What’s more, Mitchell also posted a 60% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in November.

The Cavaliers were working as a unit and finished the game with 30 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now posted at least 25 assists in seven consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, the 76ers beat the Hornets 108-98 on Friday.

The 76ers’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Joel Embiid led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 34 points and nine assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. was another key player, going 8 for 10 en route to 22 points plus five rebounds.

Cleveland has been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 24-4 record this season. As for Philadelphia, their win bumped their record up to 9-16.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Cavaliers haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 121.6 points per game (they’re ranked second in scoring overall). It’s a different story for the 76ers, though, as they’ve been averaging only 106. The only thing between the Cavaliers and another offensive beatdown is the 76ers. Will they be able to keep them contained?

The Cavaliers were able to grind out a solid victory over the 76ers when the teams last played back in November, winning 114-106. Do the Cavaliers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the 76ers turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.

Odds

Cleveland is a big 10.5-point favorite against Philadelphia, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 10.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

The over/under is 221.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Philadelphia has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Cleveland.

• Nov 13, 2024 – Cleveland 114 vs. Philadelphia 106
• Mar 29, 2024 – Cleveland 117 vs. Philadelphia 114
• Feb 23, 2024 – Philadelphia 104 vs. Cleveland 97
• Feb 12, 2024 – Philadelphia 123 vs. Cleveland 121
• Nov 21, 2023 – Cleveland 122 vs. Philadelphia 119
• Mar 15, 2023 – Philadelphia 118 vs. Cleveland 109
• Feb 15, 2023 – Philadelphia 118 vs. Cleveland 112
• Nov 30, 2022 – Cleveland 113 vs. Philadelphia 85
• Apr 03, 2022 – Philadelphia 112 vs. Cleveland 108
• Mar 16, 2022 – Philadelphia 118 vs. Cleveland 114