3 biggest 76ers takeaways from matchup vs. Cavs without Big 3

11/13/2024 09:51 PM

The day after finally getting Joel Embiid back in action, the Philadelphia 76ers (2-9) walked into perhaps their most hopeless game of the season to date: a matchup against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers (13-0) on the second night of a back-to-back without Embiid, Tyrese Maxey or Paul George in the lineup. The Sixers played a great game but couldn't pull out the win, losing 114-106.

Embiid made his season debut and lobbied to play tonight but the team decided it was better for him and George to rest up. Maxey remains out with his hamstring injury, leaving a collection of role players to take on a star-studded team that no one else has beaten yet. Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele were elevated to the starting lineup for the first time this season.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from McCain’s latest masterpiece.

McCain balls out, gets some help from Martin

Everyone was looking for Jared McCain to have another big night after back-to-back 20-point games, a rarity for rookies so early in the season. Simply put, he delivered.

McCain attempted (and missed) some tough shots going to the hole but got on the board early with a couple of three-balls off the wing. Among Philly’s first 10 field goals, he scored and assisted on four more. His playmaking sparked a great shooting start for the Sixers. He shot the lights out from deep, hunting open looks at the basket and firing away with unbridled confidence.

All night long, with the Cavs throwing whatever they could at him, McCain demanded the ball to go right at them. He wasn't selfish — far from it — but opportunistic, finding chances to score time after time. McCain’s mid-range shooting has looked veteran-like. So was the crosscourt pass he put right on the money to Reggie Jackson that led to a triple. Really, there's not much about McCain that resembles a rookie. His mindset, confidence, work ethic — it’s all wise beyond his years.

The Sixers needed to find someone to scale up when the stars sit out. They seem to have found someone all the way back in June. His final stat line — 34 points, 10 assists, two rebounds, two steals, 12-26 FG shooting, 6-13 three-point shooting — was outstanding. He did something only Stephen Curry and Jason Kidd have ever done.

triples on the night for @J_mccain_24pic.twitter.com/JUsZ9ifOXs

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 14, 2024

While there were plenty of expectations for McCain to have a big scoring night, Caleb Martin had no buzz going around him. He quietly came into this game shooting 61.9 percent from the field while making five of his nine three-point attempts. His efficiency carried over to this game — and the Sixers are surely thankful it did.

Martin shot the ball well and got into the paint often, kick-starting ball movement. His jumper has been scrutinized heavily — and, truly, it hasn't been unfair — but it was working in this one, providing the secondary scoring punch for McCain that Philly needed to take a six-point lead into halftime. He didn't really deploy an array of dribble moves to get places on offense; it was more like he blasted "Move B***h" by Ludacris and trudged ahead.

Martin being able to attack off the dribble without the gravity from any of the Sixers’ three stars was promising. If he ever learns to not shoot with his foot on the line, things could get really, really scary. He had 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals on 8-13 shooting.

The centers of attention

The Cavs starting Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley made life harder for Guerschon Yabusele, who made his first start of the season without much size to help him. He made his impact on the boards but the Cavs got plenty of easy shots at the rim for their bigs.

The Sixers had no choice but to lean into a three-point-heavy attack with Yabu starting. They answered the call, shooting 38.5 percent from deep as a team. They didn't shoot any free throws in the first half, which wasn't a result of fear of going to the rim so much as it was being selective on such looks. Yabu didn't shoot super well (1-5 from deep) but his spacing was instrumental.

Yabusele’s physicality shined as he fought for offensive rebounds, earning some extra possessions for his side. His playmaking set up the man of the evening for a bevy of triples. The Frenchman never backs down from a challenge, scrapping all game long and noticing five assists on the night.

Adem Bona served as Yabu’s backup, playing alongside KJ Martin, the Sixers’ other backup center option. He was certainly a wild thing out there at times but also reeled in five rebounds within his first seven minutes. His defense, save for a failed block attempt on Allen, was very solid, protecting the rim with textbook verticality.

The main flaw in the 76ers’ small-ball

The Sixers’ wings did a good job of using their length to disrupt the Cavs when they could, whether it was fighting for boards or contesting shots. However, since they can't protect the rim at a high level when it goes small, the perimeter defense has to be sublime in order for these lineups to hold up. Their downfall in this game was the fault of too little resistance on the ball.

A fair caveat to mention is that the Cavs are not an easy team to stay in front of with their All-Star backcourt. Nonetheless, Garland and Mitchell found it too easy to get into the teeth of the Sixers defense. Mitchell played Kelly Oubre Jr. like a yo-yo, slinging him around to get open. McCain getting his first start against such a hard backcourt to defend certainly made it tough for him

The 76ers exacerbated their defensive woes by allowing a few offensive boards. Mitchell shaking defenders in isolation and drawing multiple later on opened up space for Cleveland to shoot threes and get its own rebounds. Down the stretch, Philly patched up its rebounding by sending multiple bodies to the glass. But keeping up with this Cavs offense was still too tall of an order. Mitchell found a groove he would not be shaken out of, leading the Cavs to their 13th win.

For those who believe in silver linings and moral victories, this game was a great one for the 76ers, even if only makes their dismal record even worse.

Other takeaways

• Oubre’s on-ball defense was rough but he deserves a shoutout for his efficient shooting (20 points, 8-14 shooting). Jackson was also getting buckets, contributing 13 points and four assists on 5-7 shooting
• Every once in a while, Mitchell throws some of the most ridiculous passes you've ever seen. His mid-air bullet pass in the third quarter and his wrist-flick bounce pass to the baseline in the fourth were wild.

The 76ers will play their next NBA Cup game on Friday against the Orlando Magic, kicking off a road trip. George and Embiid are expected to play and George will no longer be on a minute restriction.

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