Sixers in for another tough game against league-best Cavs

With Joel Embiid and several others remaining out as the Sixers’ losing streak sits at seven, they have another tall order ahead of them as they take on the 36-7 Cavaliers.

The Sixers‘ life really isn’t getting any easier right now. They’ve lost seven straight games, the injuries aren’t going away, and the team’s shorthanded performance and energy has often been lackluster recently.

Put all that together, and it’s safe to say they’re in for a long night on Friday. They’re up against the team with the top record in the NBA, the imposing 36-7 Cavaliers.

Yet again, the Sixers will be missing a host of players. Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) is still out, along with Andre Drummond (left toe injury recovery), Kyle Lowry (right hip sprain), KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction), Caleb Martin (right hip sprain) and of course Jared McCain.

For the Cavs, Evan Mobley (right calf strain) is still out after missing the last three games along with Isaac Okoro (right shoulder sprain). Caris LeVert (right wrist sprain) is questionable.

The Cavs are coming off a very rare loss, a 109-108 defeat against the Rockets on Wednesday, but have remained dominant since demolishing the Embiid-less Sixers 126-99 the last time they played Philly on Dec. 21. The Cavs still comfortably have the NBA’s best offense with an offensive rating of 120.9, the ninth-best defense, and are 15-3 in their last 18 games.

They’ve had to downsize the last two games without Mobley, but thanks to their depth they still have Max Strus to step into the starting lineup and give them more shooting. Strus is making a solid 37 percent of his threes on good volume this year, attempting 5.4 in only 23.1 minutes per game (8.4 per 36 minutes).

The Sixers didn’t do much to slow down the Cavs’ stars in December. Darius Garland — who continues to have the most efficient scoring season of his career by far with a 42.9 percent stroke from three and a 63.1 true shooting percentage — shot a near perfect 9-of-11 from the floor for 26 points, while Donovan Mitchell only needed to score a quiet 19. The smaller Sixers also struggled against Mobley, who dropped 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists while utilizing his size advantage in the paint at both ends.

Despite Philly getting a break with Mobley on the sidelines on Friday, Jarrett Allen is still a real handful on the boards, protecting the paint, and generally outsizing the Sixers’ smaller frontcourt.

Fortunately for the Sixers, Guerschon Yabusele is back after missing a couple of games with his knee injury, but the Cavs’ shooting anchored by Allen is a lot for any team to handle. Especially for a depleted Sixers team where so much pressure will rest on Tyrese Maxey to create against the Cavs’ elite rim protection in the paint. Yes, Mobley’s out, but nevertheless Cleveland is holding opponents to the lowest shooting percentage within five feet of the basket this season at 60 percent. Meanwhile, the Sixers sit at the complete opposite end of the scale… They’re surrendering the highest such percentage in the league at 68.1.

This matchup will be another good test for Adem Bona, who should continue getting solid minutes while Embiid and Drummond remain out. While there’s obviously still lots of room for growth and fouling remains a concern, Bona has been flashing some real positive signs of improvement lately.

He had a strong 12-point, six-rebound game against the Pacers on Saturday and fairly won his first Bell Ringer here at LB. Then, in his first start on Sunday against the Bucks, he scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting to go along with six rebounds, one steal and one block.

Bona’s made some strong finishes while showing off his impressive vertical to soar through traffic, and his terrific lateral quickness to shift out to the perimeter defensively and length and explosiveness to compete around the rim has really popped at times.

Bona’s bringing a ton of energy even when he’s outmatched against players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it’ll be interesting to see how much he can continue that against the Cavs.

If the Sixers can make this one remotely competitive, it’s going to take big efforts from Maxey and Paul George, and/or a red-hot shooting night from three for the team. We’ll see if that’s the case and if Bona can have another promising performance in a difficult matchup.

Maybe there’ll at least be some positives for the Sixers to take away from what’s likely going to be another tough loss.

Game details

When: Friday, January 24, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: TNT
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers