76ers' Adem Bona doubtful for NBA Cup game at Cleveland with neck sprain

The Philadelphia 76ers will probably play Friday's NBA Cup game in Cleveland without their backup center. Adem Bona is listed as doubtful with a cervical spine sprain, which he picked up during Wednesday's physical win in Detroit, Liberty Ballers reported via SB Nation.

The injury came on a night that was going well for Bona. Against the Pistons he had two second-quarter dunks and finished with five points, two rebounds, a steal and an assist in 15 minutes, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Nick Nurse told reporters after the game that the 23-year-old had "neck soreness" after taking a hit, the outlet reported. CBS Sports also logged the downgrade to doubtful.

If Bona can't play, Jabari Walker is next in line behind Joel Embiid. Walker has played well this season when he's gotten minutes, going back to the preseason. Philadelphia's frontcourt is already short. Dominick Barlow is still out with a lower back stress reaction, and Ariel Hukporti remains out with a torn right Achilles tendon. Nurse called Barlow's latest visit with specialists positive, but Liberty Ballers reported that the team will wait close to two weeks at minimum before increasing his on-court work.

The starting five is healthy. No Philadelphia starter appeared on the injury report for the second game in a row.

What it means for Friday in Cleveland

Philadelphia is 8-1 and has won five straight. In that run, it beat Indiana, New York and Charlotte by five points each, then beat Chicago 126-107 and won 112-106 in Detroit to avenge its only loss. Cleveland is 4-4, per NBC Sports Philadelphia, and has already lost to the Sixers once. In the Oct. 22 home opener, Philadelphia came back from 29 points down to win 114-106.

The Cavaliers have their own frontcourt questions. Jarrett Allen is questionable with a right knee contusion from Cleveland's most recent game, a loss to Oklahoma City, and Peyton Watson is questionable for hamstring injury management. With Allen out, Walker's first extended test at center would be a lot easier.

The Sixers are favored on the road across this site's board, which tracks 12 venues. Novig has Philadelphia at -138 on the moneyline, and DraftKings has the best price at -132. On the spread, the Sixers are favored by 2.5 points. Novig prices that at -106, close to FanDuel's -105, which is the best price available. Novig lists the total at 228.5, while theScore Bet has the over at 227.5 for -110. The venues are close together. The moneyline prices are six cents apart, and sportsbook hold runs from 3.0% to 4.8% on the moneyline and 2.9% to 5.2% on the spread. The market is treating the Bona news as a small change for a team whose rotation still centers on Embiid and a healthy starting group.

The game tips Friday night on Prime Video. Allen's status will matter as much as Bona's. If Allen sits too, the frontcourt mismatch Cleveland would usually count on mostly goes away.