The Sixers just keep on rolling. After a 112-106 win on Wednesday against the Pistons, they’re sitting comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference with an 8-1 record.
Next up on Friday, the Sixers are continuing on the road with their second matchup against the Cavaliers, in what’s also their next NBA Cup game.
There’s another new name added to the injury report, too. And in typical fashion for this season, it’s a center: Adem Bona is now listed as doubtful with a cervical spine sprain. Jarrett
Allen is questionable for the Cavs with a right knee contusion.
So far, the Cavs haven’t gotten off to the best start this season. They’re sitting at 4-4 and with this initial small sample we have, rank a dead average 15th in net rating at +1.9, largely thanks to their ninth-ranked offense. It’s defense that’s hurting them most, where they rank only 21st.
The Sixers’ dramatic 29-point comeback to beat the Cavs last month was a good indicator of how dangerous these Sixers can be when their stars click. Tyrese Maxey was electric last time. He finished with a team-high 32 points, and along with Jaylen Brown, the two stars both scored 17 points each in the second half to help power the comeback.
If Maxey can have his way again vs. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in the Cavs’ backcourt (as he has against every opponent this season, really), it wouldn’t be surprising to see Maxey lead the Sixers’ offense yet again with another high-scoring night.
Even after his first quieter night of the season on Wednesday, shooting only 5-of-16 against the Pistons, Maxey is still making his average of 28.0 points on a 60.7 true shooting percentage look easy.
Mitchell remains the biggest threat for the Sixers to handle. He dropped 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting last time to lead the Cavs, and is averaging 21.9 points with a 59.9 true shooting percentage for the season so far. As tenacious as both Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have been on defense, and as good as Joel Embiid has been protecting the paint, Mitchell is always a handful with his ability as a driver and high-volume three-point creator. How the Sixers cover Mitchell on Friday and limit his space in pick-and-rolls will be key.
Rebounding will be another crucial part of this game. The towering duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen isn’t exactly the ideal matchup for the Sixers and their depleted big man rotation. However, Philly did at least make a huge jump from ranking in the bottom half of the league in defensive rebound percentage earlier this week to ninth after beating the Pistons. Of course, that shows you just how much a single game and tiny samples change things this early in the season. But it was still a stronger effort from the Sixers on Wednesday, led by Embiid stepping up with 15 rebounds and LeBron James grabbing 10 of his own.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Sixers can build on that. Keeping Mobley and Allen (if he’s active) in check, being alert with boxouts, and fighting as much as possible on the glass will be important in maintaining an edge in this one. This is especially true with Bona doubtful. Despite his struggles this year, his likely absence still leaves the Sixers with even less size. We could well see Jabari Walker get increased minutes now, who will be in for a challenge at 6-foot-7 against the Cavs’ size, but has played well since preseason.
The Cavs’ bigs haven’t historically been able to slow Embiid down much either, and last time was no different.
The big fella scored 24 points, including 15 in the second half with some big buckets late to help secure the win. It’ll be fun to see how Embiid looks again on Friday.
Jaylen Brown was efficient against the Cavs before too, and he’s in fine form after putting together his best performance as a Sixer yet on Wednesday. He shot 11-of-19 overall for his first 30-point game on the team. Brown showed off with a balanced mix of buckets, scoring with strong drives, smooth mid-range pull-ups, and a 3-of-5 mark from three. Pair that with his strong defense and work to help contain Cade Cunningham, and Brown was excellent.
A late clutch block on a Cade three-point attempt was crucial in sealing the victory as well.
If Brown plays like this again on Friday, and Edgecombe and Maxey continue to excel as they have defensively, the Sixers’ perimeter stars look ready to give the Cavs a hard time.
As our Paul Hudrick put it after this week’s win against Detroit, this team feels real. Sure, it’s early days and there are things to work on, like the backup center situation and the offense only ranking 20th for now. But from the defense and the way they’re closing out games, to the sheer talent and amount of fun they’re having, this group does feel special.
And as LeBron has said himself, the guys on this team simply enjoy being around each other. The value of that can’t be overlooked either.
Let’s see if they can keep the good vibes going in Cleveland.
Game Details
When: Friday, November 6, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Watch: NBCSP/PCK-PHI, Prime Video
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers
