January 16, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Joel Embiid was timid in the Sixers' loss to Cleveland on Wednesday. There was no such mindset in Friday's rematch against the Cavaliers.
PHILADELPHIA – After the Sixers fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night in the first of consecutive matchups with one of their Eastern Conference cohorts, the sentiment was unanimous, from head coach Nick Nurse to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George: the Sixers came out flat. They did not play with enough energy and effort to win that game, and on Friday they ensured the same mistake was not made twice. But effort does not guarantee a victory.
The Sixers lost their second straight game to the Cavaliers with a 117-115 defeat on Friday night. They lost despite controlling much of the game, as Embiid played with terrific intensity and aggression and was supported by a slew of solid role player showings. Cleveland was without star guard Darius Garland, further setting the stage for the Sixers to bounce back. But their seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter, briefly extended to 11, evaporated.
Even after losing control of the game, the Sixers put themselves in the driver's seat, making a spirited push to regain a seven-point lead. But Cleveland, shockingly led by second-year wing Jaylon Tyson on the best night of his NBA career, stormed back yet again. The teams traded blows in the final two minutes and Maxey tied the game with 8.1 seconds left on the clock. Cleveland, however, landed the knockout blow in the form of a game-winning dunk from Evan Mobley.
Takeaways from another disappointing Sixers loss:
The Cavaliers have one of the most imposing frontcourts in the NBA, with two high-caliber bigs in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen capable of doing significant damage in tandem or on their own. When they are playing together as part of Cleveland's starting unit, it can be tremendously difficult for opposing teams to keep up with the size and muscle Mobley and Allen possess. That was the case for the Sixers on Wednesday; they were not just pummeled on the glass from start to finish but also allowed Cleveland's bigs to impose their wills on the game as scorers with too much ease.
After two days of talking about the importance of approaching Friday's rematch with the right intensity and focus, the Sixers backed up their talk. Dominick Barlow helped set the tone on defense; he notched three steals in the first eight minutes of the game. Nurse said before the game that, at some points, the Sixers would need to zag and use their athleticism to outpace Cleveland even when undersized.
Their defensive playmaking, led by Barlow, stood out as the most obvious way in which they did that. Nurse leaned on Barlow and Jabari Walker for some interior physicality, and Adem Bona – typically not Nurse's choice at backup center when physicality is required – stepped his game up. A spirited crowd got behind the Sixers and the atmosphere in the building was excellent. But as has happened far too often this season, the Sixers failed to protect their home floor. Tyson's continued brilliance and his teammates' repeated poster dunks over Embiid stunned a crowd desperate to see a win.
The Sixers had the right mindset to win this game. They should have won this game. But down the stretch, the Cavaliers just took it from them.
When Embiid is not at his best, it is a picture far too familiar to Sixers fans: the former NBA MVP is playing with hesitance, thinking for a split second too long on his touches and forcing himself into suboptimal jumpers or turnovers. He set a miserable tone for the Sixers on Wednesday because that indecision led to a flurry of early turnovers, and he never quite recovered.
Embiid was at the top of the list of Sixers who needed different demeanors on Friday, and he set a considerably better tone, scoring 13 points in one of his best first quarters of the season. He did not shoot the ball well for his standards, but facing such a terrific frontcourt he came out with the necessary determination and aggression that the Sixers needed.
Despite what his modest shooting line might indicate, this was a good Embiid game, in part because his constant force earned him plenty of free throws. When Embiid is compelling officials to blow their whistles frequently, it is almost impossible for him to have a bad offensive game. Even down the stretch, he stayed within himself and gave the Sixers what they needed offensively. He needed more help.
An additional positive sign: Embiid's three-point shot, uncharacteristically poor for much of the season, might finally be coming around. He intimated after knocking down two triples on Wednesday that he has been as confused as anybody by his lack of success from beyond the arc but expressed hope that the shot would come along, referencing his lengthy track record as a productive three-point shooter. Friday marked only the second time all season Embiid has made multiple three-point shots for the second game in a row.
If Embiid returns to hitting three-point shots with some regularity, he will not just experience the increase in overall scoring efficiency that comes with more shots going in. Lately, defenses have been even more willing to take their chances with him shooting from out there because of how lethal he can be inside. That will always be the case to some degree, but Embiid putting together a hot streak from long range would make that calculus tougher for defenses.
Some additional notes:
• Barlow's scary fall on Wednesday forced him to miss the second half of the Sixers' loss, but the Sixers are fortunate that it did not cause him to miss any time beyond that. Barlow, who was questionable for Friday's game with a back contusion, was ultimately upgraded to available and started. The Sixers' depth at power forward could have helped them manage a Barlow absence, but the 22-year-old has been the most stable part of that group.
• It had been a very long time since Grimes had really enjoyed a standout stretch offensively, so it was encouraging for the Sixers to see the 25-year-old knock down back-to-back triples before intermission and give the Sixers some momentum as they returned to their locker room:
Q with back-to-back triples to end the half! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/q1a3UK3ZMW
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 17, 2026
Grimes made a few important, winning plays in the second half, too, and this turned into his best all-around performance in a little while. The Sixers could really use an extended run of this sort of play from Grimes.
• Jared McCain is officially out of Nurse's rotation. His role has been reduced to extremely short stints midway through second quarters of late, but on Friday it was Trendon Watford put in that spot. McCain has been given more than two months worth of minutes – he has played a handful more of games in his disappointing sophomore season than he did in his electric rookie campaign – and it has just not clicked. The book is far from closed on the soon-to-be 22-year-old, but for now the Sixers have to focus on winning games. He has not helped them do it.
Up next: The Sixers' six-game stretch of home games will continue on Monday, when they kick off a back-to-back by welcoming the Indiana Pacers to town.
