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The Cleveland Cavaliers will get another shot at the Philadelphia 76ers as they host the Sixers on Sunday afternoon.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (4-7) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7-5)
When: 3 p.m. EST
Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse — Cleveland, Ohio
Where on my eyeballs: Fox Sports Ohio, NBA League Pass
The Cavaliers gave the 76ers all they could handle in the last meeting between these teams. On Sunday, they will look to hold home serve and bounce back from an ugly loss to the Miami Heat.
Neither team probably felt great about their offensive performance in the last meeting. Both teams had unforced errors and several starters on both teams had sub-par shooting games.
With Philadelphia’s upside on the defensive end, it’ll be important for Cleveland to do a better job taking care of the basketball. The Sixers will certainly get their share of steals and deflections, but the Cavs cannot shoot themselves in the foot with unforced errors and expect to walk away with a win.
Nobody will confuse the Sixers for an elite shooting team, so keeping them out of transition and forcing them to score in the halfcourt can help level the playing field.
The other big news coming into this game is the season debut of Ante Zizic. His minutes will be restricted to around 10, but having a second center capable of giving Tristan Thompson rest will be a big deal. The Cavs have been playing without a backup center since John Henson went down with an injury. Against a Sixers squad that has prioritized size Zizic could help give Cleveland a needed lift.
Fear the Sword’s Fearless Prediction
I think Philly will look to make a statement after a poor first showing between these teams. Early afternoon games are typically low scoring and ugly, so Sixers win 104-95.