Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers 22 October 2026 Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers opened the season with a 106-100 road win over the defending champion New York Knicks. Now Nick Nurse’s team hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are playing their first regular-season game. Cleveland won all four meetings with Philadelphia last season.

Philadelphia’s New Lineup Starts Strong

Three straight preseason losses, to Brooklyn (114-108) and Boston (144-106 and 125-120), raised questions about how quickly the 76ers would come together. Their regular-season opener against the Knicks was a much better showing. Philadelphia trailed 58-54 at halftime, then used an 11-0 run late in the third quarter to take control. New York shot just 37% from the field.

“I’m against the whole idea of sacrificing your own game. I explained it to the guys this way: everyone should do what they do best, and the others will support them. I don’t think any of us needs to take a back seat,” Embiid said.

Maxey scored 28 points, Brown added 19, and James began his 24th NBA season with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Nurse also gave Simons and Caldwell-Pope more than 25 minutes each.

Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup: Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James, Embiid

Out: Hukporti and Barlow (injuries)

Manager: Nick Nurse

Cleveland Keeps Its Core and Adds Watson

The Eastern Conference finalists open their 2026-27 regular season in Philadelphia. Cleveland played three preseason games this month: a 124-113 loss to Boston, a 119-105 home win over Orlando and a 132-116 road loss to the Magic. Mitchell scored no more than 15 points in any of them.

Cleveland largely kept its roster intact. Its main offseason addition was Payton Watson, acquired from Denver in exchange for Strus, a 2031 first-round pick and cash. Watson helped the Nuggets when Jokić was unavailable last season.

Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup: Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley, Allen

Out: Tomlin (injury)

Manager: Kenny Atkinson

Cleveland Won All Four Meetings Last Season

The Cavaliers swept their four regular-season games against the 76ers in 2025-26. They won 132-121 and 115-101 at home, and 133-107 and 117-115 in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers Handicap -2.5

Main prediction: Cleveland had the better of Philadelphia last season, but the 76ers’ revised lineup looked effective at both ends against New York. Simons and Caldwell-Pope also give Nurse options to maintain pressure throughout the game. Cleveland has lost nine of its last 11 road games, so the pick is Philadelphia 76ers -2.5 at 1.90.

Total prediction: Philadelphia held New York to 100 points in its opener and emphasized defense around the basket. With Mobley and Allen presenting another challenge inside, a high-scoring game looks less likely. The pick is under 236.5 points at 1.90.