76ers vs. Cavs: What Stood Out for Philly in Preseason Game 3
Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers fired up their preseason with a road matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. After putting on a dominant performance while shorthanded, the Sixers returned home with a 1-0 record.
On Wednesday, the Sixers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first of two preseason matchups. Despite the Cavs controlling the game for most of the matchup, the Sixers found a way to snag a one-point victory at home to advance to 2-0.
This week, the Sixers and the Cavs met for a rematch in Cleveland on Monday night.
Unlike last week's matchup, the Sixers had total control of the game from start to finish. While it wasn't a blowout performance put on by the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey and his team picked up their third-straight victory and put away the Cavaliers with a 113-97 win.
Here's what stood out for the Sixers:
Joel Embiid Has a Rest Plan
Joel Embiid has now missed two out of three preseason games. Don’t be surprised by this. Prioritizing the MVP runner-up's health has always been a key for the Sixers. Getting Embiid ready for the regular season is important — but getting him there as healthy as possible is the top priority.
Nobody on the Sixers previously talked about the big man having a rest plan, but Embiid’s absence on Monday night was a planned night off. With the big man staying back in Philly, he rested up and gave the Sixers an opportunity to see what they could do without him in the lineup.
Sixers Go Small Without Embiid
When Embiid missed last Monday’s preseason battle against the Brooklyn Nets, the third-year center Paul Reed started in his place, with Montrezl Harrell and Charles Bassey being the backups.
Doc Rivers didn’t want to do the typical move and start Reed again. Instead, he brought a third guard into the starting lineup and shifted PJ Tucker into the five spot.
After acquiring Tucker in free agency over the summer, the Sixers were expected to use the veteran primarily as a power forward. But Doc Rivers made it clear two weeks ago that Tucker will garner minutes at center at times throughout the year.
Monday was the perfect opportunity for Rivers to utilize Tucker as a small-ball five with Embiid and Harrell out for the game. The Sixers added De’Anthony Melton to the starting lineup to play alongside Tucker, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and James Harden.
The Embiid-Less Lineup
Joel Embiid doesn’t fear the three-point line, so a lineup with him in it wouldn’t cause the Sixers to shy away from hunting threes as a unit. But without the big man down low, the Sixers kept looking to fire shots from the perimeter.
In the first quarter of action, the Sixers launched 13 three-point shots. As a team, they hit on 46 percent of their deep shots in the opening minutes. Philly’s small-ball five PJ Tucker logged his first points as a Sixer after going scoreless last Wednesday. To no surprise, he knocked down a corner three.
It’s apparent that Maxey will thrive in any lineup this preseason, but he really made the most out of the Embiid-less lineup. In his first eight minutes of action, Maxey went 4-6 from the field and knocked down all three of his long-range jumpers. He collected 15 of the Sixers’ first 33 points.
After playing into the first few minutes of the third quarter, Maxey finished the night with 19 points in 24 minutes.
James Harden’s Second Preseason Action
After missing last Monday’s preseason opener, Harden made his Sixers preseason debut against the Cavs last Wednesday night. He finished the game with nine points, draining three of his nine shots and hitting on one of his three three-point attempts.
Being that Embiid was out for the night, we wanted to pay attention to Harden as the primary scorer. He took a backseat to Maxey, who continues to dominate on the offensive end. Harden finished the game with 11 points. He shot 37 percent from the field, knocking down two of his four three-pointers.
We won’t read too much into preseason play, considering Harden’s a proven ten-time All-Star, but it appears getting Harden back to being a dominant scorer is still a work in progress early on.
No Charles Bassey?
Monday's game was expected to serve as a prime opportunity for Charles Bassey to state his case to crack the Sixers' final roster ahead of the regular season. After debuting in the matchup against Brooklyn last Monday, Bassey failed to see the floor in the first outing against Cleveland last week.
With both Embiid and Harrell out for Monday's game in Cleveland, it seemed a Paul Reed and Charles Bassey game was brewing. Unfortunately, only one of those guys picked up minutes, and it wasn't the one who is fighting for a roster spot.
If you believe that the final roster spot comes down to Isaiah Joe or Bassey, then the former definitely seems more likely to stick around. While Joe was in the same position as Bassey last week as he missed the second preseason outing, the sharpshooter cracked the rotation on Monday and picked up eight minutes of playing time.
Meanwhile, Bassey was the only healthy Sixer to remain off the floor as Doc Rivers opted to roll with former G League Ignite standout Mike Foster Jr. when Reed and Tucker's nights concluded.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
