The Sixers are in Cleveland on Monday night to take on the Cavaliers, but will be without four starters, including rookie VJ Edgecombe, who continues to recover from a lumbar contusion. Philadelphia is coming off a 125-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, in which star guard Tyrese Maxey injured his pinky in the closing moments. The Cavaliers are coming off a 109-98 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday and may be a little tired in the second of back-to-back games.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (34-29) at Cleveland Cavaliers (39-25)
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio
The Sixers simply cannot catch a break, and there have to be questions about when it will all end for them. This year had seemed different from the past few years, as Joel Embiid had returned to health, regaining his dominant form on the court, Tyrese Maxey had ascended to the top of the pecking order among guards in the conference, and Paul George was healthier and playing inspired basketball.
That's all come to a screeching halt as Embiid has battled an oblique injury, causing him to miss multiple weeks; George was suspended for 25 games; and, in the final seconds of a loss to the Hawks on Saturday, Maxey fell to the court and was writhing in pain. The sprain in his finger is going to keep him out at least the next two games. On top of all of that, star rookie VJ Edgecombe sustained a lumbar injury after falling during a foul against the Spurs and is going to miss his third straight game.
The Sixers will try their best to get Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes, Adem Bona, Jabari Walker, and Dominick Barlow to slow the oncoming Cavaliers attack, but the team will more than likely resemble last season's pieced-together lottery squad.
The Cavaliers have been up and down over the past couple of weeks, with losses to the Celtics, Pistons, and Bucks, and victories over the Pistons, Nets, and Knicks. They're a mixed bag on any given night, but they've managed to get themselves into fourth place in the Eastern Conference and added James Harden at the trade deadline.
For Harden, he's not forced to be a focal point and has settled in quite nicely with the team. He's averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 assists while shooting 44.6% on his three-point attempts since coming to the team. Pairing him with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, among others, enables Harden to use his vision and ability to make life easier for the team. The backcourt of Mitchell and Harden could be one of the best in the conference as the season winds down and they become more comfortable playing together.
The Sixers will take fans all the way back to the glory days of 2025, when Quentin Grimes could shoot 20 times a game, run the show, and hope it leads to a big payday in the off-season. We've all seen how that show ends.
The feel-good stories of Walker and Barlow will be gone; Bona and Andre Drummond will continue to be exposed, getting extended minutes with Embiid absent; and the once-formidable backcourt will be down to Grimes, Cam Payne, and Kyle Lowry. They would need a stroke of coaching genius and luck to make it out of Cleveland with a victory, and we've all seen how that show ends as well.
Cavaliers 127 - Sixers 93
