The Sixers were dominated by the Cavaliers. Nick Nurse is eager to see how they respond.
The Sixers suffered a 133-107 loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. They'll get another shot at them on Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena as part of a two-game set.
The 76ers relish the opportunity to play the Cleveland Cavaliers again at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday.
The matchup will come two days after the Sixers suffered a 133-107 loss to the Cavaliers at the same arena. It was the Sixers’ fifth series loss in six meetings against Cleveland.
“So absolutely [excited] to get a chance to play them again,” Paul George said. “It’s a test for us. And you know, see how we respond.”
» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: A bad matchup, Joel Embiid’s mounting turnovers, and more from loss to Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell finished with a game-high 35 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists on Wednesday. The six-time All-Star has scored 35, 46, and 37 points in his last three games vs. the Sixers. And he’s averaging 28.0 points and 6.6 assists in 10 games against the Sixers (22-17) after being traded to Cleveland (23-19) from the Utah Jazz on Sept. 3, 2022.
Meanwhile, Evan Mobley had 17 points and game highs of 13 rebounds and four blocks on Wednesday for his 15th double-double of the season. The 7-foot power forward and reigning defensive player of the year has averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in his last five games against the Sixers.
But the two All-Stars aren’t alone in their domination.
Cleveland had five double-figure scorers, shot 53.3% — including 18 of 44 three-pointers — in a 132-121 victory over the Sixers on Nov. 5. On Wednesday, they shot 52.6%, and made 20 of 46 three-pointers. Their 41 assists on Wednesday were the most an opposing team has posted against the Sixers this season.
“It wasn’t just a win, but how we played,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Forty-one assists on 50 made baskets is kind of college basketball [numbers] the way we moved it.
“And defensively, we were good.”
They shut down Tyrese Maxey (14 points on 5-for-16 shooting) and VJ Edgecombe (nine points on 3-for-10) on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers showed Maxey two defenders several times to get the ball out of his hands quickly.
“I started off slow, kind of energy-wise, and let them kind of box me in a little bit,” said Maxey, who had nine points on 3-for-10 at intermission. “But yeah, sometimes you just got to make the right plays. I felt like some times I came off, and there were two or three bodies, and I just got off the ball.
“That’s how I play basketball. If I see multiple bodies, and I don’t think I have an advantage, like somebody else on my team should have an advantage.”
And, as in the teams’ previous meeting, Wednesday’s outcome was all but decided after three quarters.
» READ MORE: Sixers’ Dominick Barlow leaves Cavaliers game with back contusion
Nick Nurse is eager to see how the Sixers respond on Friday.
“I think it’s a great test for us,” the coach said. “It’s a great test for us to see if we can snap out of the energy funk that we were in [Wednesday night] and dig in and guard something and execute something on offense because we didn’t... scheme right or execute right.”
Sixers power forward Dominick Barlow missed most of Wednesday’s game after suffering a back contusion early in the third quarter. Barlow was expected to have an MRI on Thursday. His injury is a tough blow for the Sixers, as he is a solid glue guy who started alongside George, Joel Embiid, Edgecombe, and Maxey.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Darius Garland (right foot) and Sam Merrill (right hand) also left the game due to injuries. Atkinson said he doubts that they’ll play on Friday.
“Dom is a big piece for us, but it is, it’s another gut punch, man, that somebody else goes down,” said George, whose squad has dealt with injuries all season. “Soon as we finally start to get healthy, and there’s some consistency with the starting group. It’ll be another starting group come Friday, so that has been a challenge.”