Previewing Saturday’s Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (5-16) and Philadelphia 76ers (15-7) tip-off at Wells Fargo Center at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night. We analyze the Cavaliers-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
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Cavaliers at 76ers: Key injuries
Cavaliers: PF Kevin Love (illness) is questionable, while SG Dylan Windler (shin) is out until mid-December.
76ers: C Joel Embiid (hip) and SG Josh Richardson (hamstring) are out. C Kyle O’Quinn (calf) remains out indefinitely, too.
Cavaliers at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.
The 76ers (-833) are overwhelming favorites, and there is no way to justify risking eight times your money for a small return. The Cavaliers (+550) are giant underdogs because they’re not a good team, and they might be without their best player, Love, who is under the weather.
New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered on a Philadelphia win profits $0.12 if the 76ers prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $1.20, $20 to win $2.40, $83.33 to win $10).
Take the 76ERS (-11.5, –115), even though they’ll be a little bit short-handed without Embiid. They’ll still be in good shape against the struggling Cavs.
PASS. The Under has cashed in 19 of the past 27 meetings in this series, and 10 of the past 14 battles in Philadelphia. With Embiid out, and Love possibly joining him, the defense actually could be lacking. There is just too much uncertainty to wade into the total pool here.
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Analyzing Saturday’s Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks matchup, with NBA betting odds, lines, picks and best bets
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The New York Knicks (4-18) host the Indiana Pacers (14-8) Saturday with tip-off coming just after 7:00 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden. We analyze the Pacers-Knicks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
Pacers at Knicks: Key injuries
Pacers
SG Victor Oladipo (knee, quad tendon) out indefinitely
SF JaKarr Sampson(back) missed Friday’s game, questionable at best Saturday
Knicks
SG Reggie Bullock (neck, illness) out
Pacers at Knicks: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.
The Pacers have won seven of their last 10 games and are 5-6 on the road this season. The Knicks are 3-9 at home. Back INDIANA (-250) as a solid road favorite even with New York firing its coach David Fizdale yesterday.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Indiana to win outright would profit $4.00.
The Pacers are ninth against the spread on the road with a mark of 6-5 and come in three points per game above the cover line. New York is 5-7 ATS at home and comes in 5.6 points per game below the cover line (23rd).
Slightly lean toward INDIANA(-6.5, -110) to win by seven or more points Saturday. It delivers a $9.09 profit on a $10 bet.
The projected total is set at 207.5 (Over: -110, Under: -110). Indiana averages 109.5 points per game and New York allows 111.3 per contest. The Pacers rank 23rd at 98.9 possessions per game and the Knicks are 27th at 98.1. With a new Knicks coach, there is too much uncertainty here. PASS on the O/U.
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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Jordan Bell will never make this mistake again when Chris Paul is around.
Friday night’s Timberwolves-Thunder game featured one of the wildest endings of the season, and Chris Paul’s keen eye and incredible game sense helped Oklahoma City pull off a wild comeback in regulation – though his tactics are getting him roasted on Twitter.
Timberwolves star Karl Anthony-Towns went to the free-throw line with Minnesota holding a two-point lead, 121-119, with 1.1 seconds remaining in the fourth. Towns missed the first free throw to give his team a three-point advantage, and before Towns’ second shot, teammate Jordan Bell checked into the game.
Bell, however, had not tucked in his jersey before coming onto the floor, which is a violation. Paul noticed Bell’s jersey, and immediately pointed him out to official Scott Foster. You can hear Paul over the broadcast yelling “his jersey’s untucked, that’s a delay of game.”
The call was only significant because it was the Timberwolves’ second delay of game violation, which triggered an automatic technical free throw for the Thunder. Danilo Gallinari hit the shot to make the score 121-120, but Towns still had a chance to effectively ice the game by simply missing his second free throw intentionally. Instead, Towns accidentally made his attempt, allowing Steven Adams to throw a miraculous pass from the baseline to set up a game-tying layup at the buzzer by Dennis Schröder.
Unreal. Jeff Teague gets an inexplicable delay of game making it only a one-point TWolves lead.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then took over the game in overtime, scoring 11 points in the period to lead Oklahoma City to a 139-127 win. After the game, Paul told reporters that he was aware that a second delay of game would gift his team a free throw, but that officials will often let the violation slide and not call it.
If one deal is on the way, it would make sense considering the stage of rebuilding Cleveland is currently in (very early on in the process), and how much time is left on Love’s contract (three more seasons after this one). Simply put: Love doesn’t make much sense on the Cavaliers’ roster the way it’s construed at the moment, and he would be better served suiting up for a contender.
Now, that doesn’t mean finding a suitor for Love will be easy. He’s 31, somewhat injury prone and owed a ton of money – over $120 million, to be exact.
Still, Love is putting up good numbers this season (16.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg on 44.6/37.6/88.1 shooting splits) and if he is made available, contenders will come calling.
So we decided to break down four potential trade destinations for the former champion. Without further ado, let’s check them out.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
UTAH JAZZ
The Utah Jazz are off to a slow start this season, which isn’t totally out of the ordinary for them under head coach Quin Snyder. Over the past couple of campaigns, Utah has begun at a mediocre level before going on long runs and establishing themselves as a Top 4-caliber team in the West.
So far in 2019-20, the Jazz are 12-10 and boast a net rating of +0.1, which is about as mediocre as you could get. And considering the expectations they had coming into the season after the additions of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic, among others, Utah has been pretty disappointing.
One area they could use help in is at the 4-spot, where Snyder has turned to Royce O’Neal and Jeff Green to be the primary options, and the duo have responded by averaging a combined 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Love’s production would far exceed that. What’s more, from a basketball fit sense, the big man’s floor-spacing would form a wonderful synergy with the paint-bound Rudy Gobert, whose defensive prowess would mask Love’s deficiencies on the other end of the floor.
Finding the salaries to match in order to make a deal between the Jazz and Cavs work is tricky, especially with the struggling Joe Ingles ineligible to be traded until the offseason, but a trade can be found using a core package including Bogdanovic, Dante Exum and Ed Davis. Add a Top-10 protected first-rounder and that could be enough to entice Cleveland, who would be acquiring one elite asset and a promising young player on a relatively cheap deal in Exum, who could use a change of scenery.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
BROOKLYN NETS
Another playoff team in need of a power forward, the Brooklyn Nets would also make sense as potential Love suitors.
Without an injured Kevin Durant, Brooklyn isn’t expected to compete for a title this season, but acquiring Love would raise their ceiling and put them on the same tier as everyone behind the Milwaukee Bucks in the East. Plus, with Kyrie Irving in the fold and Durant set to return next season, having the modern version of the 2015-16 title-winning Cavaliers, with Durant playing the role of LeBron James, could appeal to the Nets.
Love’s post game, one that will be able to flourish again on a team with more threats to score besides just him, will garner the Nets simple buckets when needed, while his floor-spacing would fit well next to a rim-diver like Jarrett Allen. Plus, a frontcourt of Allen and Love would absolutely dominate opponents on the glass, and the extra possessions gained from the duo’s offensive rebounding could come quite valuable when the playoffs roll around.
Again, due to Love’s massive salary, finding the right swap of salaries here is tricky, but a package including DeAndre Jordan, Joe Harris (he would be tough to lose but it’d be either him or Spencer Dinwiddie, and the Nets would likely rather keep the latter) and Taurean Prince would come close.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX SUNS
The Phoenix Suns are fighting to reach the playoffs this season for the first time with Devin Booker, and acquiring Love could help them achieve that goal, especially with their need at the 4-spot.
Phoenix’s current starter at power forward, Dario Saric, is doing an admirable job manning the position, averaging 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, but there’s little doubt he’d be better suited for a bench role where he can make plays and attack the basket against weaker second units.
Love at power forward for the Suns would quickly strengthen their starting five; his screen-setting and pick-and-pop prowess would mesh wonderfully with Booker, his floor-spacing would fit well next to the pick-and-rolling Deandre Ayton (due back from suspensions on) and his scoring would give Phoenix a legitimate No. 2 option to get buckets.
Ricky Rubio, Booker, Kelly Oubre, Love and Ayton would form a strong starting lineup, with a healthy blend of both young talent and experienced production.
Additionally, thanks to Tyler Johnson’s bloated (but expiring) $19.3 million salary, finding an acceptable trade between the two parties is a lot easier than it is for other suitors. Phoenix would just have to add just under $5 million in outgoing salary, and some draft capital, to make a reasonable offer for Love.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
BOSTON CELTICS
The Boston Celtics are a team that has been rumored to have interest in Love at different points over recent years, so it makes sense that Woj mentioned them in his original report on ESPN on Friday.
With lineups featuring so many athletic wings, so much ball movement and an All-Star point guard, the one area Boston is a bit lacking is in the frontcourt, where Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and Robert Williams are taking the majority of the minutes at the 5.
Love would present an immediate upgrade over any of those guys, and thanks to the versatility defensively of monster point-stoppers like Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, Love’s lack of chops as a defender at center could be masked. The Celtics could also choose to keep Theis, an adept rim-protector, starting at center, play Love at the 4 and surround the two bigs with Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Brown to form a nasty-yet-well-balanced starting five.
Of course, any deal between the two Eastern Conference rivals would have to include Gordon Hayward, who actually earns more than the player Boston would theoretically be trading for in Love (the swingman is making $32.7 million this season to Love’s $28.9 million).
Considering Boston is 7-4 (while boasting the league’s No. 8 net rating) since Hayward went down, and with how well Brown and Tatum are playing, there’s a chance general manager Danny Ainge feels comfortable moving the former Utah Jazz forward to fill another deficient spot on the roster.
After an awkward and disappointing 2018-19 season, the Celtics look quite impressive thus far this campaign. And Love would only make them better.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
LeBron James may have exaggerated this contact just a bit.
The Lakers dropped 77 points on the Trail Blazers in the first half on Friday night, and with Los Angeles in command in the second quarter, LeBron James decided to have a bit of fun with his teammates after being fouled under the basket.
James drove to the bucket and was fouled by Kent Bazemore as he tried to pull off an acrobatic finish, and the 34-year-old took a hard fall to the floor. The Lakers rushed to James’ aid – but LeBron remained motionless on the floor. From the broadcast angle, it seemed like James may have suffered an injury on the play.
Entire Lakers bench helps LeBron up off the floor as LeBron plays dead then laugh it up afterwards 😂💀
James, was fine, fortunately, and a different camera angle revealed that he had his tongue stuck out and was pretending to be dead. LeBron tried to keep himself from laughing for as long as possible, and was dragged off the court by his teammates.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ No.1 overall draft pick will be limited whenever he makes his NBA regular-season debut.
Zion Williamson is getting load managed.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ No.1 overall draft pick will not be thrown into big minutes night after night when he makes his NBA regular-season debut.
Although the Pelicans are 6-16 on the season and riding a 7-game losing streak. The Pelicans organization has been cautious with its young superstar. New Orleans has made the playoffs only three times in the past ten years with one appearance in the Conference Semifinals.
Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin says, “He very likely will not be asked to take the pounding of back-to-backs initially,” Griffin said, via ESPN.
The Dubs are the worst team in the league with a 4-19 record this season. That might be a good thing for 2020.
In the past five years, the definition of domination in the dictionary can be found under the Golden State Warriors.
Three Larry O’Brien trophies, five-straight trips to the Finals, multiple MVPs, and the best regular-season the league has ever seen.
Life comes at you fast, after major changes whether injuries, free agents signing elsewhere and trades. The Dubs are the worst team in the league with a 4-19 record this season. That might be a good thing as they’re set to make a big move in 2020.
“The people I talk to around the league are really worried that they are going to trade that first-round pick, the 2020 pick—because if they load up with an All-Star-type player with that pick, they are terrified—or if they land a Luka Doncic in the draft, they’re terrified,” said NBC Sports NBA insider Tom Haberstroh.
Healthy splash brothers in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, with D’Angelo Russell, Draymond Green plus either another All-Star talent or high lottery pick could put the Warriors in position to add to their dynasty.
The New York Knicks have parted ways with head coach David Fizdale, leaving an opportunity for someone else to try fixing the franchise.
The New York Knicks have parted ways with head coach David Fizdale, leaving an opportunity for someone else to try fixing the franchise.
You have probably heard the big-name candidates like Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Kenny Smith, especially since they all have big profiles now as regulars on television and have ties to either New York or the Knicks.
There are also the familiar faces who may get consideration and you’ve probably seen them other lists – coaches like Tom Thibodeau, Ty Lue, Jason Kidd, Mike Brown and Mark Woodson.
Other obvious names to consider are assistants Mike Miller (not the one who played in the NBA) and Pat Sullivan, both of whom are current assistants. Miller has been named the interim head coach, so it’s possible that he could take over permanently if he does a great job. New York also has two other assistants (Kaleb Canales and Jud Buechler) who will be asked to step up with Fizdale and former assistant coach Keith Smart gone.
Perhaps no one makes more sense than former NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups, who played for the Knicks in 2011 and has connections to the team’s front office (since he played under current GM Scott Perry in Detroit). However, he has maintained that he is more interested in becoming a front-office executive than coaching.
Regardless, this is a tough job and someone who has ties to their front office in some ways may have an advantage since this is such a crucial hire. Here are some under-the-radar candidates to keep an eye on as the Knicks conduct their coaching search.
Craig Robinson
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Back in April 2018, Frank Isola actually mentioned Knicks executive Craig Robinson as a potential candidate for their head coaching vacancy before they eventually hired Fizdale (via New York Daily News):
“Robinson is another longshot Knicks candidate, according to a team source. The former Oregon State head coach — and brother of former First Lady Michelle Obama — currently serves as the Knicks’ VP of player and organization development.”
Robinson was the head coach at Oregon State from 2008 until 2014. During his playing days at Princeton, he was teammates with Steve Mills — the President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks. It is also worth mentioning that former NBA champion coach Dave Blatt was one of their teammates as well, though he is currently dealing with serious health issues.
Becky Hammon
Knicks should ask to interview Becky Hammon for their head coaching position
Becky Hammon was once a fixture at Madison Square Garden, as she played for the New York Liberty from 1999 until 2006. The San Antonio Spurs assistant was once again promoted within the Spurs organization last year and has been a fixture on the sidelines during Summer League games for the team as well. She has received some consideration for other head coaching jobs recently, such as the Milwaukee Bucks’ and Detroit Pistons’ gigs. One of the looming questions for her is how long Gregg Popovich will remain head coach in San Antonio. If he decides to retire soon, she could be in line to take over as the next head coach of the Spurs.
Adrian Griffin
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
While he is currently the lead assistant coach for the defending champion Toronto Raptors, Adrian Griffin could make some sense for the New York Knicks. He attended college in New Jersey at Seton Hall University, where he is in their athletics Hall of Fame. During his final NBA campaign in 2007-08, he played 13 games for the Seattle Supersonics. Scott Perry was the Assistant General Manager for Seattle that season. Then, when Perry was the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Orlando Magic in 2015-16, Griffin was one of the team’s assistant coaches.
Darvin Ham
(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
Former NBA champion Darvin Ham played for the Detroit Pistons from 2003 through 2005. During that time, Perry served as the Director of Player Personnel for the organization, so he’s familiar with Ham. Ham has previously been in consideration for head coaching positions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers. We also previously mentioned him as a potential candidate for the head coaching vacancy with the Atlanta Hawks in 2018 before the team went in a different direction.
Chad Forcier
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Milwaukee Bucks assistant Chad Forcier was an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons (2001-03) when Perry was the team’s Director of Player Personnel. He later served as an assistant for the Orlando Magic, including the final year Perry was their assistant general manager (2016-17). He worked directly with Gregg Popovich when he was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs and has served as a lead assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. His ties to Perry and coaching experience could make him an interesting candidate to watch.
David Fizdale’s tenure in New York is over. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. He went out with a whimper, losing 129-92 to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
The loss was so bad that Knicks owner Jim Dolan as well as executives Scott Perry and Steve Mills all left their seats in the final moments of the team’s loss to the Nuggets. The change felt inevitable at that point. Fizdale was done.
This had been a long time coming. The Knicks have been reeling for quite some time now. They’re 4-18 now and are on pace for a measly 15 wins this season. They quite possibly are the worst team in the NBA, and Fizdale’s 21-83 record wasn’t getting any better. They simply decided it was time to cut bait.
Fizdale wasn’t just a scapegoat in New York
He was actively part of the problem with the Knicks. He was never dealt a good hand to play with, but he made his situation even tougher by consistently playing that hand the wrong way.
His rotations were beyond wonky. There’s no way Allonzo Trier, as their best perimeter scorer, should only play six minutes in a blowout loss against Denver. Marcus Morris, Julius Randle and Bobby Portis spent way too much time on the court together, and Frank Ntilikina didn’t play nearly enough as their best perimeter defender.
Plus, the Knicks’ young guys weren’t really developing. Mitchell Robinson, as great as he is as a rim protector, averages 3.6 fouls in 21 minutes a night. Kevin Knox has also fallen off after a hot start – and don’t even get me started on Dennis Smith, Jr.’s season so far.
Part of that is the player and their individual effort, but it’s also a coach’s individual responsibility to craft systems on both ends that their players can develop and flourish in. Fizdale didn’t do that.
Coming into this season, the Knicks wanted to compete and develop their young guys. They haven’t done either. That’s why Fizdale is out.
The Knicks’ problems still run much deeper than the coach
Fizdale’s departure, as necessary as it might be, isn’t going to stop the bleeding for the Knicks. They’ve still got a roster with absolutely no balance, chock full of veteran power forwards that don’t move the needle one bit at all.
And that’s where the Knicks real problem lies — in the construction of their roster and the person who built it. Steve Mills has been a straight up embarrassment as a team president.
His most notable move is trading the team’s best drafted player since Patrick Ewing – Kristaps Porzingis – to open up cap space for free agents that turned in to Taj Gibson, Randle and Marcus Morris.
There’s more, though. He issued a letter to fans in the summer after missing out on the free agents they thought they were going to sign. Then, months later, he throws Fizdale under the bus by actually laying down the groundwork for his dismissal when the season started to cave.
The thought of this team being competitive was always laughable. The fact that Mills sold Dolan on a vision that was never realistic is the real fireable offense here. But that’s also why the Knicks won’t solve their issues anytime soon.
At the end of the day, the team’s owner continues to settle for mediocrity year after year after year. Fizdale’s failed tenure was just a pebble in the grand scheme. James Dolan’s management of the team is the landslide.
The David Fizdale era is over in New York, as the Knicks fired the head coach following a disastrous 4-18 start to the season. Fizdale was in his second season in New York, and led the team to a 17-65 record last season, the worst in the league.
The move was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on the day after the coach blasted his team’s “sickening” effort in a blowout loss to the Nuggets at Madison Square Garden. Fizdale was always likely to take the fall for the Knicks, but as our own Charles Curtis argued in November, he isn’t to blame for the organization’s failure to lure a major star in free agency, and their subsequent roster moves, which left Fizdale with a terribly constructed roster.
NBA Twitter went off on the Knicks on Friday.
It's weird how the Knicks took a very bad team, traded its best player for cap space, didn't sign any good players with that cap space, and are somehow still bad
I’m so Happy For Coach Fiz!!! It finally gives Coach Fiz a peace of mind and now the Knicks needs to address the real problem and that’s Steve Mills and Scott Perry!!!
firing david fizdale for not making the knicks into champions is like giving a mechanic a box of toothpicks and hot dogs and then getting mad at him that he couldn't you a race car out of it
David Fizdale was dealt a bad hand, but he also played it very poorly. The Knicks never established an identity or defined style of play on either side of the floor. Even the Process Sixers and tanking Nets were able to do that, and at times with obviously less talented teams.
