76ers fall to top-seeded Cavaliers, again, 126-99
AP Photo/Phil Long
After 2-straight wins against the Hornets in home and away, they lose the second night of a back-to-back to the Cleveland Cavaliers who rise to a record of 25-4, and the 76ers drop to 9-17.
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid tonight on the second night of a back-to-back. This was to be expected, in fact, it was a surprise he even played last night as he recovers from his orbital fracture. Despite his absence, the Sixers came out of the gate fairly hot, maintaining a decent lead throughout the first quarter, ultimately finishing the quarter tied 30-30. The rest of the game was not competitive whatsoever, the Cavs won the second quarter and third quarter by 11 and 12, respectively.
The Sixers shot 11-34 (32.4%) from three which is just on par for their season average which is best for 27th in the league. Tyrese Maxey was the team’s high scorer with 27 and had no help from the second in command, Paul George. George posted 11 points on 12 field goal attempts.
Nick Nurse utilized a lot of his team tonight using everyone in uniform except for Reggie Jackson. Despite throwing the kitchen sink at them, the Cavs stormed through and really made a statement as to why they are the leaders in the East.
Tonight it was the usual subjects, of course, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, who combined for 67 points on 26 of 41 from the field. As a team, the Cavs shot 51.2% from the three while sinking 22 from beyond the arc. The Cavs rank first in the NBA for three-point percentage, shooting at a clip of 40.0%. The Cavs get help from everyone on the three-point game, bench players Georges Niang, Caris LeVert, and Ty Jerome sank a combined 8 threes, meanwhile, Garland and Mitchell combined for 10.
Including tonight’s loss, the 76ers have won 6 of their last 9 (three of which were wins against the Hornets). Right now, Basketball Reference gives the Sixers a 62.1% chance to miss the playoffs. This has shrunk since before this last 9-game stretch, before which, they had a 90%+ chance to miss the playoffs. With the Jared McCain and Embiid injuries, that 62.1% is sure to grow in next week’s update.
The Sixers are also about to embark on a tough portion of their schedule starting after the game at home against the Spurs this coming Monday. Then, starting Christmas Day, they start a six-game road trip that begins in Boston, then hits Utah, Portland, Sacramento, and Golden State, and concludes in Brooklyn on January 4th.
This stretch should be really telling for the Sixers as to what their course of action should be for the remainder of the season.
After this stretch, they will have played just over 40% of their season, and of course, with a more accurate timetable for McCain and Embiid, they will know if they should keep pushing for a play-in spot, or if they should pull the plug on the season.
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Nate Tramdaks
Nate is a Sophomore at La Salle studying finance. He closely follows the 76ers, has co-hosted his own 76ers podcast in the past, and has been writing for Syracuse University Sports.
