The Philadelphia 76ers are in Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers after a brutal loss to the Bulls on Tuesday night. The Sixers blew a huge 24-point lead and wound up letting the Bulls run them over in the last part of the fourth quarter, with their only points coming from free throws. The Sixers didn't have a field goal in the last six minutes of the entire game as Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Quentin Grimes took one short shot after another.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (5-2) at Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Ohio
The Sixers were red hot to start against the Bulls, jumping out to a 19-point halftime lead, and then they let it all go. The Bulls outscored the Sixers 57-36 in the second half, and the team looked nothing like the one that had shown up so many nights to start the season.
While the Sixers have increased Joel Embiid's minutes over his last two games, the 26 minutes that he had against the Bulls are severely misleading. Despite finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, and four blocks, Embiid fell apart at the end, couldn't hit a shot, nor could he control the ball when it was in his hands. He finished the night shooting 7-21 from the floor and just 1-6 on his three-point attempts. If the Sixers are going to continue to win, they have to find the right balance for the former MVP, and whatever they were doing at the end of the Bulls game simply isn't it.
Tyrese Maxey continues to lead the team, finishing with 39 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 14-26 from the floor and 6-10 from three-point range. The problem was that Maxey couldn't hit a shot at the end of the game, and while some may question his ability to draw late-game fouls, he was off the mark and simply didn't get the job done.
The Cavaliers haven't started this season as they did last year and are only sitting at 4-3 through the first seven games. They will get the much-needed return of Darius Garland tonight, which should improve their ball movement and put their larger frontcourt in a better position to take advantage of the smaller Sixers lineup.
Donovan Mitchell is still leading a quality group of players, despite missing Garland to start the season. Mitchell is already averaging 29.5 points per game and is one of six players scoring in double figures. The front court of Jarrett Allen, De'Andre Hunter, and Evan Mobley is combining for 51.7 points, 21.5 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game. They have a large front court that can do damage from inside as well as outside, especially against smaller teams.
The Sixers need to come out and shoot the ball well, then not lose that in the second half. They typically come out flat in the third quarter and, at least to start this season, were on fire as they made a comeback in a few games in the fourth quarter. While they fell apart in the second half against the Bulls, they'll look to get out and run, moving the ball more, especially with Embiid expected to miss the second half of their back-to-back games.
With Embiid and Jared McCain missing, Head Coach Nick Nurse will have to rotate the three top guards he has on the team and get them on the floor as much as possible.
VJ Edgecombe will look to use his athleticism and overall talent to bounce back at least scoring-wise, since he only had 12 points against the Bulls on 4-12 shooting from the field. What's been impressive to watch with Edgecombe is that on the nights his shot doesn't seem to be falling, he really works hard to contribute in other ways. Against the Bulls, Edgecombe finished with 11 rebounds and four assists, so he'll be looking to get back on track.
It will be a tough game, as the Cavs can get out and run with just about anyone. They shoot a lot of three-pointers, which is something the Sixers allow teams to do at an almost alarming rate, and they have the size to control the paint. It also so happens that the Cavaliers haven't played since Sunday and are well rested. This is not a recipe for success for the Sixers.
Sixers 117 - Cavaliers 131
