Observations after Sixers get blown out by Cavs to kick off homestand originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers certainly did not begin their six-game homestand with their finest performance Wednesday night.
They fell to a 133-107 loss to the Cavs at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dropping to 22-17 on the season. Cleveland moved to 23-19.
Joel Embiid’s 20 points topped the Sixers. Paul George added 17.
Cavs star Donovan Mitchell tallied 35 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Darius Garland had 20 points and seven assists. Evan Mobley posted 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
The Sixers remained at full strength to begin the evening. Cleveland was down Dean Wade (left knee contusion) and Max Strus (left foot fracture surgery).
The Cavs and Sixers will play the second game of their mini-series Friday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on the Sixers’ blowout loss Wednesday:
Cavs surge ahead early
Garland swished a three-pointer for the game’s first basket and Cleveland made its first four field goals.
While the Sixers kept pace for a while and went up 10-9 on an Embiid top-of-the-key three, the Cavs pushed in front with a 10-0 run.
The Sixers were inferior early in both the turnover and rebounding departments. They conceded 11 second-chance points in a little over six minutes. As a team, the Sixers were often unable to match the Cavs’ physicality, track the ball and close out possessions.
Embiid slammed the ball down in frustration after being whistled for traveling on the perimeter. That turnover was Embiid’s fourth and the Sixers’ sixth. At that stage, the Cavs still had zero giveaways.
Small role for McCain
Embiid did reach 13,000 career points in the first quarter.
He watched from the sidelines early in the second as George took command of the Sixers’ offense. Though George drained two threes early in the second quarter, the Sixers still trailed by 14 points when Embiid subbed back in.
Searching for anything effective, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tried out many of his bench options in the first half. Jared McCain was the 11th Sixer to see action, checking at the 6:16 mark of the second period.
McCain played just three minutes in the second quarter and missed a short baseline jumper on his only shot attempt. His next stint began around the midpoint of the fourth quarter with the Sixers down by 25 points. Though he’s played in 27 consecutive games, the second-year guard’s minutes have been minimal lately. The 21-year-old has had four straight outings under 10 minutes.
It’s a somewhat tricky situation for Nurse and the team to manage. The Sixers want McCain to gradually regain rhythm and confidence after returning from thumb and knee injuries. They also want to maximize their chances to win games and McCain has generally played well below the level he showed as an impressive rookie.
There’s pros and cons to whatever approach the Sixers choose from here. Playing McCain a handful of minutes per game does not appear to be a good long-term solution.
Sixers’ momentum short-lived
The game halted early in the third quarter when Dominick Barlow hit the floor hard and landed on his back after Mobley blocked his layup.
Barlow was down for several minutes and helped off the court by his teammates. He was officially ruled out with a back contusion late in the third quarter.
Once the action resumed, the Cavs extended their lead. Darius Garland’s layup gave Cleveland a 75-53 advantage, Nurse called timeout and the home fans booed.
The Sixers replied with a high-energy 10-0 run.
Jabari Walker provided ample hustle. Embiid dove into the stands in pursuit of a long rebound. A little later, Walker’s second steal led to a Tyrese Maxey fast-break layup that cut the Sixers’ deficit to 79-68.
Cleveland was soon back in control. The Sixers’ comeback ambitions were not helped by the fact that both members of their starting backcourt had inefficient games. Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 23 points on 8-for-26 shooting.
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