The Sixers had no opportunity to rest on their laurels after Joel Embiid made another return to action on Friday night — and did so by collecting 34 points and nine assists to lead the Sixers to an encouraging home victory over the Charlotte Hornets — because they were back in action the very next night, this time on the road against the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Saturday night, the Sixers got off to a terrific start. Of course, a terrific Cleveland team fought its way back... and then took the lead... then a bigger lead... and a bigger lead. What could have been the upset of the year for the Sixers turned into a blowout loss at the hands of the team with the top record in the league.
Here is what stood out from the Sixers' 126-99 defeat in Cleveland:
Sixers stars stick to the script
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said following Friday's game that he expected Joel Embiid to sit out the second leg of the team's back-to-back, but that Paul George would play in Cleveland despite nearing 39 minutes against the Hornets. The Sixers listed George as questionable with a "left knee impingement," but Nurse reportedly said prior to the game that he was optimistic the nine-time All-Star would suit up. And sure enough, 30 minutes prior to tip-off, the Sixers confirmed that George would play.
Nurse's starting five against a Cavaliers team powered by two terrific guards and a pair of imposing bigs: Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., George, KJ Martin and Andre Drummond.
Additionally, Caleb Martin, who missed three games due to numerous ailments — with a shoulder injury being the headliner — made his return to action in this one, as the veteran wing was available off the bench.
Maxey gets off to another strong start
Maxey scored 15 points in the opening frame of the Sixers' win over Charlotte on Friday, draining four threes and converting an and-one to lead the charge in a 41-point quarter. And after Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland opened this game's scoring with a quick bucket, Maxey went on a personal 8-0 run. He started the stretch by draining back-to-back triples, with the first one coming after Maxey nabbed an early steal:
Soon after, Maxey split the Cavaliers defense en route to the rim and converted a beautiful scoop layup at the rim to give the Sixers an 8-2 lead. Not even three minutes into the game, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson had seen enough and called a timeout to regroup.
MORE: Has Maxey made a defensive leap?
Sixers build a lead before Donovan Mitchell takes over
George got going out of Atkinson's timeout, knocking down a pair of jumpers while Oubre continued his excellent two-way play, forcing a turnover and knocking down a corner triple. Maxey knocked down his third straight triple, another sign that his three-point shot is back:
But a Cleveland response was inevitable, and naturally, it was led by their superstar guard, Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell went to the locker room after a few minutes, but upon returning engaged in a major heater. Mitchell scored 13 points in all during the opening frame, bringing Cleveland from down by 10 to momentarily up by two points. Cleveland's offense got hot in the closing moments of the quarter, and after a dozen minutes, the teams were tied at 30.
The only Cavaliers player who did not enjoy the final moments of the first quarter in this one: our old friend Georges Niang, who missed a few shots, was called for two fouls he did not agree with before also being whistled for a defensive three-second violation. And then, George did this to the former Sixer:
Niang has surely had better quarters.
Cavaliers take control with three-point barrage in second quarter
Much of the second quarter was dominated by Mitchell and the Cavaliers, whose three-point shooting could not be contained. Cleveland's marksmen got hot from beyond the arc, and the Cavaliers' relentless shot-making allowed them to create a double-digit lead of their own.
Mitchell led all scorers in the first half, scoring 19 points prior to intermission. But Garland added 13 points on just six shot attempts, and Evan Mobley contributed with a dozen points on only seven shots:
Cleveland made 12 of its 20 long-range attempts during the first half, with seven of those three-pointers belonging to the terrific backcourt duo of Mitchell and Garland.
The Sixers would have been out of the game had they not shot the ball well from beyond the arc in the second quarter, too, though they did not shoot well enough to keep pace with Cleveland's red-hot offense. Eric Gordon knocked down a deep triple and Guerschon Yabusele connected from three-point range for the first time in more than two weeks. KJ Martin also knocked down another corner triple. He is becoming increasingly comfortable in this spot:
A few plays later, the 23-year-old attacked a closeout after faking a three from the same corner, setting up an impressive drive and rim finish — showing more proof that his development as a decent threat from long-range could be immensely valuable for both KJ Martin and the Sixers.
After what was a rough second quarter, the Sixers were about to return to their locker room for intermission trailing by 14. But Ricky Council IV threw up a 38-foot prayer as the buzzer sounded and connected, trimming Cleveland's lead to 66-55 at halftime.
Nurse's desperation move pays off, keeps Sixers alive as teams trade runs
The Cavaliers picked up at the beginning of the third quarter where they left off at the end of the second quarter, rattling off nine unanswered points — all scored by Garland and Mobley — in a three-minute span. Suddenly, their lead had reached a game-high 20 points. Nurse called for a timeout and made sweeping changes, bringing Council, Caleb Martin and Yabusele into the game for Oubre, KJ Martin and Drummond.
Nurse's new five-man unit — Maxey, Council, George, Caleb Martin and Yabusele — outscored Cleveland by a dozen points in three minutes and 36 seconds, with Maxey's shot-making leading the way as the Sixers were able to pull themselves within eight points of the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers land knockout blow
Atkinson's team simply does not take its foot off the gas, and so when their coach called a timeout following the Sixers' significant push, his team responded with a major run of its own. In the final five minutes and 24 seconds of play in the third quarter, Cleveland outscored the Sixers by a whopping 15 points, pouring in 18 quick points while limiting the Sixers to only three.
Maxey had an excellent night from three-point range, but really struggled inside the arc, particularly during this stretch. Nurse even tried using rookie center Adem Bona in search of a spark, but there was not one to be found.
The Cavaliers held a 99-76 lead as the game entered its final frame, but Cleveland had already obliterated the Sixers on both ends of the floor for long enough that the game was clearly out of reach.
Kyle Lowry fails to score in five minutes
Since Lowry returned to action after missing some time due to a right hip strain, the Sixers have played six games. During that stretch, Lowry has more missed games (2; one with rest and one with back spasms) than he has made shots (1).
Lowry took a deep three during the first half, but did not connect. It was the only shot he attempted during his five minutes and 34 seconds of action. In the fourth quarter, Nurse did not bring Lowry back into the game, instead using two-way point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. for the first time in over a month.
The 38-year-old Lowry has had a terrific career, but he may no longer have enough mobility to be a rotation player in the NBA. Lowry is a complete non-threat to score and can be exploited defensively.
Oddly, Nurse actually brought Maxey and George back into the game during the fourth quarter, but George was pulled fairly quickly and Maxey checked out a moment later. It was a curious move with the team trailing by 25 points with eight minutes left in the second leg of a home-road back-to-back, but it did not end up costing Nurse and the Sixers.
After their blowout defeat in Cleveland, the Sixers find themselves 9-17 on the season.
Up next: The Sixers will return home for their last game in Philadelphia before departing on a six-game road trip. They will welcome Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs to town before heading to Boston for a Christmas Day battle against the Celtics.
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