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Cavaliers' top-five offense meets a 76ers defense in mid-pack

Philadelphia ranked 16th in defensive rating and 26th in defensive rebounding last season, while Cleveland's offense ranked fifth in the NBA.

Cleveland: 117 offensive rating, fifth in the NBA
Philadelphia: 26th in defensive rebounding at 72.5%
Mitchell 27.9 points, Brown 28.7 points last season

Published October 22, 2026 at 7:01 AM1 min read How this story was written

Final

Cleveland Cavaliers

Philadelphia 76ers

Box score and plays

The Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30 last season) visit the Philadelphia 76ers (45-37) on Thursday, October 22, at 7:00 PM ET, with the NBA's fifth-best offense facing a defense ranked 16th.

Cleveland scored 117 points per 100 possessions and shot an effective 56.1%, fourth in the league. Philadelphia's defense allowed 113.0 and ranked 12th in opponent effective shooting, so the Cavaliers meet an average wall, not an elite one.

The glass favors Cleveland too. The 76ers secured 72.5% of available defensive rebounds, 26th in the league, while the Cavaliers got 26.9% of their own misses back, ninth.

Philadelphia's offense gives less to work with. It posted a 112.9 rating, 17th, and took threes at the 23rd-highest rate, 39.1%.

Donovan Mitchell averaged 27.9 points last season, and James Harden 8 assists, for Cleveland. Jaylen Brown scored 28.7 a game for Philadelphia, and Joel Embiid grabbed 7.7 rebounds in 38 games.

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland's center at 26.4 minutes a game, is questionable. Nae'Qwan Tomlin and Khalifa Diop are out. Philadelphia's Dean Wade is questionable, and Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall are out.

Both teams ended last season with four straight playoff losses to the New York Knicks. Sportsbooks' prices give the 76ers a 58% chance to win, and Keel's projection, built from the players available, has them at 55%.