Joel Embiid-Less Sixers Fall Flat Against Cavaliers on Sunday

For the first time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers hit the road this weekend. On Saturday night, the Sixers made a quick trip to Madison Square Garden to face off against the New York Knicks. As the Knicks came into battle against a fully healthy Sixers roster while shorthanded, Philly took care of business with ease picking up their second-straight win of the 2020-2021 NBA Season.

Without having a chance to settle in New York, the Sixers immediately hit the road as they were set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first back to back set of matchups of the year on Sunday night. Once again, Philly was healthy throughout the entire day leading up to the matchup -- but that all changed moments before tip-off.

Joel Embiid, who didn't anticipate sitting out for rest during the second matchup of a back to back, ended up missing Sunday night's game. According to the Sixers' injury report, Embiid is dealing with stiffness in his back. While the injury doesn't seem to be serious, Embiid's absence was notable, considering his production as of late.

Following the first two games of the year, Embiid leads the Sixers in points-per-game as he's averaged 28 points against the Washington Wizards and the Knicks. Without Embiid, the Sixers started veteran center Dwight Howard, with Tony Bradley backing him up. Considering the opponent, the 76ers were still believed to have the upper hand, but Cleveland took advantage of an Embiid-less Sixers roster.

At first, the Sixers kept it close as they trailed just five points through the first quarter of the game. Without Embiid, Philly's offense looked out of sorts, which could've been chalked up to early confusion as the lineup was different. Expecting to tune things up in the second quarter, the 76ers failed to get it going.

After getting outscored 35-26 in the second quarter, the sloppy Sixers went into halftime trailing by 14 points. The good news is the Sixers established themselves as a better second-half team through their first two matchups this year, but Sunday was a different story.

The 76ers failed to secure the ball on offense and turned it over 21 times throughout the night. While Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris stood out on the stat sheets, their solo performances didn't do Philly any justice. Cleveland's Andre Drummond played aggressively and looked nearly unstoppable against an Embiid-less Sixers.

Meanwhile, the 76ers couldn't click. The Sixers' first night on the road this season was a success, but the second game was nothing short of forgettable. With the 118-94 loss against the Cavaliers, the Sixers move to 2-1 on the year. They will now get a day off before taking on the Toronto Raptors at home on Tuesday night.