February 23, 2024
Kyle Ross/USA TODAY Sports
Two short-handed Eastern Conference contenders faced off Friday night, as the Donovan Mitchell-less Cavaliers faced a Sixers team missing Joel Embiid
Looking to rebound after Thursday night's home loss to the New York Knicks, the Sixers returned to their floor Friday night for a national television matchup against the Eastern Conference's second seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. After a back-and-forth contest, the Sixers were able to do just enough to come away with a victory, 104-97. Here is what stood out most from the win:
• De'Anthony Melton, who had not played since Jan. 12, missed 18 consecutive games before returning to action in this one. Melton's minutes were monitored as he came off the bench, and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse indicated that Melton's role — not just whether he starts or comes off the bench long-term, but also what functions he performs on each end of the floor — is up in the air, as Nurse identifies new combinations and permutations with which this adjusted roster can succeed.
• Meanwhile, however, Kyle Lowry missed this game — the second leg of the back-to-back — as he continued to ramp up his conditioning after not playing for an extended period of time in between being traded to and bought out by the Charlotte Hornets. Nurse implied Lowry's usage would likely be normal moving forward, but he was unavailable in this one after impressing in his Sixers debut.
• Nurse opted to once again roll with Mo Bamba as his backup center Friday night, despite receiving some less-than-ideal production from the big-man in recent weeks. Bamba was able to have one of his better stints in recent memory in the first quarter. Bamba blocked a pair of shots, finished a bucket around the rim and dished out a couple of assists. It was nothing special, but certainly a step in the right direction for a player who desperately needed some sort of positive momentum.
• After KJ Martin picked up two early fouls, two-way wing Ricky Council IV was reinserted into Nurse's rotation — and Council was immediately thrown into the fire, being assigned the difficult task of tailing Cavaliers star point guard Darius Garland. It remains to be seen whether or not Council's contract will be converted to a standard NBA deal, but it does say something about the team's view of him as a defender that they already rely on him to take on difficult matchups like this one.
• Cam Payne — back in the rotation due to Lowry's absence — knocked down a trio of early triples in this one, giving the Sixers some much-needed juice on the offensive end of the floor. One would imagine that Payne is facing an uphill battle in his fight for consistent playing time with Tyrese Maxey and Lowry cemented in the rotation, but given Lowry's ability to defend above his height and above his weight class, Nurse suggested it is possible for the team to run some unorthodox, small lineups featuring three guards as a vehicle to keep Payne in the rotation.
• Tobias Harris continued his recent struggles early on in this one, missing six of his first eight looks, playing with increasing levels of frustration. Those recent struggles certainly seem like they have him pressing a bit, and the consistent murmurs and boos in the crowd are only getting louder. The Sixers need Harris to get right, and they need it to happen sooner rather than later.
• Martin had a solid second quarter stint, finishing around the rim with his left hand twice on as many attempts and pulling five rebounds. What his exact role playing consistently on a very good team would be remains in question, but his athleticism allows him to make plays that most guys simply cannot make, and that alone continues to make him intriguing.
• The Sixers were able to build some separation early in the third quarter — thanks to triples from Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Buddy Hield — but after Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff called a timeout, his squad quickly brought the deficit back down to just a few points. It was the story of much of this game: neither team was able to pull ahead by more than a few points for more than a minute or two at a time.
• Nic Batum was declared available for this matchup after being listed as questionable pregame. But despite being dressed, the veteran never played in this one, clearly only actually being available in case of an emergency. His absence allowed for extended minutes for Martin and Payne, among others.
• The Sixers shot very few free throws in this one, but found themselves the beneficiaries of trips to the line because the Cavaliers simply could not convert from the charity stripe. Cleveland might have been able to take control of the game if they knocked down a regular amount of their tries from the free throw line. Instead, they were generous to a Philadelphia crowd which ambitions to redeem free chicken nuggets.
• Rebounding has been one of the Sixers' biggest weaknesses since Joel Embiid went down, and they were able to rectify that at least in part tonight with a stronger effort on the boards. Paul Reed in particular did a better job on the glass, which the Sixers are going to need on a consistent basis moving forward. Beyond that, it was a collective effort, with Harris, Oubre, Bamba and Martin all chipping in.
• This one predictably went right down to the wire, with the Sixers ultimately pulling away in the final moments thanks to crucial shots from Maxey and Hield. It marks their second recent victory over a tremendous Cavaliers team -- and while they were without Mitchell in this one, the Sixers were, of course, missing an even more significant piece in Embiid. Even a short-handed Cleveland team is a good one, and the Sixers are desperate to "pick off" wins, as Nurse has put it, against any sort of competition.
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