Philadelphia 76ers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
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The Philadelphia 76ers start a three-game road trip with a match against Eastern Conference-contending Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Sixers come into Wednesday's match off of an enthralling 104-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The major talking point of the match was the return of Joel Embiid, who was out for four games with a mid-foot sprain.
Embiid made his return against the Hawks felt, scoring 30 pts on 9-18 shooting while also grabbing eight rebounds and seven assists. His return would continue his now five-game streak of scoring 30+ points which started all the way back at the beginning of November in a game against Atlanta.
Apart from Embiid, Shake Milton and Tobias Harris helped push Philadelphia forward, combining for 45 points.
Going into Wednesday's match in Cleveland, Doc Rivers won't have anything new to look over on the Sixers' injury report as the previously-injured James Harden, Jaden Springer, and Tyrese Maxey all remain out.
On the other side of the ticket sits the Cavaliers, who have started to slow down after a hot start to the season. A lot of their success could be attributed to their backcourt combo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, who are averaging a combined 51 points per game.
Their offensive production was missing during Cleveland's most recent game against the Toronto Raptors, where they lost 88-100. The All-Star backcourt only combined 26 points after Mitchell recorded a season-low eight points on 27 percent shooting.
J.B. Bickerstaff will have a lot of injuries to manage to go into Wednesday night's match, as Ricky Rubio, Lamar Stevens, Jarrett Allen, and Kevin Love will all be out against the Sixers.
Players to Watch:
Sixers: Joel Embiid
Embiid finds himself as the Sixer to watch due to his strong performance against the Hawks on Monday night as well as his ability to show up when his team plays big opponents. Across his last five games, Embiid is averaging 39 points, which featured his career-high 59-point outing against the Utah Jazz, and his 32-point night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell
Despite his poor outing against the Raptors, Mitchell has made himself right at home in Cleveland since being traded during the offseason. The Cavaliers guard is averaging 26 points across his last five games on a lethal 45 percent accuracy from the field, showing that if given the chance, he'll be sure to get a bucket.
Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.
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