The upstart Cleveland Cavaliers are set to clash and host the desperate Philadelphia 76ers Friday night inside the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. The 76ers hope they get back the face of the franchise in center Joel Embiid, who has been banged up this season. 

Bookmaker has installed the Cavaliers as a - 7.5 point favorite. 

The Cavaliers (44-29) have enjoyed a very decent season. They have shown the rest of the league that they have some staying power and should be noticed. They hope for a decent run into the Eastern Conference playoffs and believe they have the depth and talent to get there. Now, can they defeat the Boston Celtics or the Milwaukee Bucks? Well, that is yet to be seen in a long series. 

But they have shown resilience and can make big plays and shots when called upon. That is the true mark of a team with depth and character, and the Cavaliers possess that. They need it because they have dropped four of five overall. 

On offense, they are led by an outstanding scorer in Donovan Mitchell, who has put up some monster numbers this season. He averages around 27 points a game and has also been dealing with some nagging injuries. But reports say he could return to action Friday night against the 76ers. 

Look for the Cavaliers to get him involved early and for the guards to drive to the basket and take advantage of Philadelphia's lack of an interior defensive presence. 

As we have mentioned, the 76ers (39-34) have been dealt some critical injuries, and the loss of Embiid has hurt this team as the season has gone on. Reports show he could return just in time for the playoffs, but it might be a moot point.

Philadelphia is the 8^th seed in the standings, but several teams are breathing down their backs. The 76ers need to string together some wins and create more distance between themselves and other teams like the Chicago Bulls.

They have lost two straight and are just 4-6 in their last ten games. They have to get Tyrese Maxey into the floor of the offense early and often in this game. He has put together an awe-inspiring season and comes into Friday night's action, averaging around 25 points a game. He has shown he can take on the offensive burden in Embiid's absence. 

Embiid averaged 35 points a game, so that is a ton of scoring to be picked up in his absence. 

The Cavaliers are just 1-4 in their last five games and 1-4 in their previous five games against the number too. They are a solid 17-18 in their road games against the spread and own a home mark of 23-14 this season. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games and 20 out of their last 37 at home. The 76ers are 1-4 in their previous five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are 19-17 in their road games against the number too.