NBA Hoops

Joel Embiid, Sixers get blown out by Cavs to begin trip

Joel Embiid, Sixers get blown out by Cavs to begin trip

The Philadelphia 76ers carried a three-game winning streak into Cleveland on Wednesday to face the Cavaliers and start a three-game road trip. The Sixers had Joel Embiid back from a left mid-foot sprain, and they were looking to build some momentum.

The Cavs had other plans. They took advantage of some Sixers turnovers, got out in transition for easy hoops, shot a ridiculous 60.8% from the floor, and drilled 15 3s. They also shot an insane 16-for-17 from the floor in the second quarter. Those efforts led to a rather easy 113-85 win over the Sixers.

Embiid had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for Philadelphia. De’Anthony Melton had nine points. PJ Tucker added six points, and Shake Milton had 14 points.

Here are the player grades from a poor night in Cleveland:

Like the Hawks matchup on Monday, Milton got off to a slow start offensively as he wasn’t really looking for his shot too often. When he was aggressive with his own looks, he was successful and efficient. However, it didn’t come until it was too late and he had a tough time on the defensive end and he contributed to the poor transition defense.

It always seems early in games that the Sixers will go to Melton and try to get him involved early on the offensive end and that was the case in this one. Melton had a couple of buckets off some two-man action with Embiid. However, that was about the only positive thing you could say about Melton. He also wasn’t his usual defensive self on this night. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell had many easy looks.

Considering how terrific Harris has been recently, it was interesting to not see him get many looks on the offensive end. He was getting to the free-throw line to get some points, but he took only four shots in the first half and he missed all of them. He then missed all three of his shots in the third quarter. As with everybody else on the team, he wasn’t great on the defensive end either. He left with an illness in the third quarter and he finished 0-for-7 on the night. The fact that he was sick saves him from a failing grade.

After all of the recent talk about his lack of offense, Tucker set himself open in the corner and he buried an open 3 in the first quarter. He knocked down another in the second quarter as a result of teammates just getting him the ball. There have been plenty of moments in games when Tucker is wide-open in the corner…

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