The Philadelphia 76ers clash with the reigning NBA champions Cleveland Cavaliers in a 2016-2017 NBA Preseason match at the Quicken Loans Arena on Oct. 8, Saturday.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Philadelphia will play their third preseason game against the Cavs this weekend after splitting their first two matches. The Sixers opened their stint with a 92-89 home win over the Boston Celtics in Tuesday before succumbing to the Washington Wizards, 125-119, on Thursday also at the Wells Fargo Center.
Joel Embiid played his second straight game and was fielded in for only 12 minutes this time. He scored five points on 2-for-6 shooting with three rebounds.
Dario Saric also started again for head coach Brett Brown and was impressive, scoring 14 points and grabbing four boards in 18 minutes.
Undrafted sophomore point guard TJ McConnell started for the Sixers and fired 12 points while dishing out a game-high seven assists. Off the bench, youngsters Richaun Holmes, Jerami Grant, and Hollis Thompson contributed 20, 17, and 15 points respectively.
Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor were unavailable during the game as both are nursing separate injuries at the moment.
After two preseason games, Coach Brown's lineup had been effective on the defensive end of the floor and surprisingly, what needs to be developed is their offense. Perhaps the return of Okafor will help a lot regarding that area.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers showed their depth in a 117-102 crushing of the Orlando Magic also at the Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday.
LeBron James only played 13 minutes and scored seven points with two rebounds and six assists, but the Cavs' bench was unstoppable with four substitutes scoring in double figures.
Shooting guard Jordan McRae led the bench with 20 points, while rookie Kay Felder, sophomore Jonathan Holmes, and veteran Channing Frye netted 14, 12, and 12 respectively.
Head coach Tyronn Lue did not field in starters Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson as DeAndre Liggins and Chris Andersen replaced them in the starting lineup.
Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert completed the first five as JR Smith is still unsigned at this time.
Prediction
A second straight win for the Cavs even without Irving and Thompson. James and Love will continue to take it easy, but the bench players are ready to prove themselves that they belong with the champions.
