Sixers Bell Ringer: Cleveland rocks the Sixers in blowout defeat back home

The confines of Xfinity Mobile Arena were anything but friendly for the Sixers, who suffered a 26-point loss to the visiting Cavaliers.

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2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 17
VJ Edgecombe – 5
Paul George – 4
Joel Embiid – 3
Andre Drummond – 2
Dominick Barlow – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Jared McCain – 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

They say the first home game after a road trip can be tough, and the Philadelphia 76ers certainly proved that old adage on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following a three-game road trip and and stretch that saw

them play nine of 11 games on the road, the Sixers began a six-game homestand in putrid fashion, with literally their lowest-scoring first quarter of the year to fall behind, 33-18. Although the Sixers briefly made in-roads to cut the deficit to six points, the Cavaliers made it a double-digit affair again by halftime and Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his game-high 35 points in the third quarter alone to put this game to bed early. In addition to suffering the indignity of a 133-107 loss, the Sixers also suffered a blow to their starting lineup with Dominick Barlow falling hard on his back and leaving the game in the second half. Initial X-rays were negative and he’ll get an MRI next.

Let’s quickly go over Bell Ringer and then forget this one happened ahead of another game between these two teams on Friday night.

Paul George: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers

George was a big factor in the Sixers’ push to get back into the game in the second quarter (the only frame Philadelphia won on the evening), tallying nine points and a pair of assists in the period. Twice on the evening, PG hit midrange jumpers on the right side while getting fouled. He canned a pair of triples as well, and also had a nice drive where he managed to get Evan Mobley flatfooted in the paint and finish around him. Honestly, it wasn’t anything spectacular from the veteran, but he was efficient from the floor (7-of-14 shooting), and played his normal role nicely while the surrounding cast wasn’t up to the task.

Joel Embiid: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6 turnovers

Like George, Embiid came alive offensively in the second quarter, scoring 10 of his team-high 20 points in the period. He knocked down a couple midrange buckets and then parlayed that into a pump fake and drive to get Jarrett Allen off his feet and finish in the restricted area. With Joel struggling from downtown this season, it was nice to see him connect on a pair of three-pointers, and congrats to him on hitting the milestone of 13,000 career points on the evening. Unlike George, though, Embiid did have huge negatives in this game, with bad turnovers once again marring his play, and also some immense struggles rebounding the basketball, particularly in the first quarter.

Jabari Walker: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers

Walker was one of the few Sixers who looked like he at least had a pulse out on the court, and did his part to try and keep the Sixers hanging around in the third quarter. He created a second-chance opportunity with an offensive rebound and dished out to Tyrese Maxey for three. He stole the ball out front and took it the length of the court himself for an emphatic dunk (with a great Sky Walker call from Kate Scott). A couple minutes later, Walker made another nice defensive play to knock the ball away from Darius Garland and dove on the floor to push the ball ahead to Maxey for an easy transition finish. Unfortunately, he couldn’t buy a bucket from the perimeter (0-of-4 from three), with the Cavs happy to lay off him for the most part. The Sixers will need Jabari to at least keep defenses honest if he sees extended minutes while Barlow is out.