Updated: 3:55 p.m.
The Sixers suffered one of their worst letdown losses of last season to the Cavaliers in November, a 121-112 defeat at Wells Fargo Center in which Tristan Thompson grabbed twice as many offensive rebounds (eight) as their entire team.
Sitting at 6-3, they’ll aim to avoid a similar effort Tuesday night when they play the 4-5 Cavs.
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Here are the essentials for tonight’s game:
When: 7 p.m. ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app
And here are three storylines to watch:
The injury situation
NBA
Al Horford is out (rest), Trey Burke is out (left calf tightness) and both Ben Simmons and Shake Milton are available.
The Sixers will again likely need to lean on their bench, which currently has a plus-0.3 plus-minus. The Sixers’ bench hasn’t finished with a positive plus-minus since the 2011-12 season.
Two teenagers to watch
Cavs head coach John Beilein gives significant minutes to two players younger than many he coached at the University of Michigan, a pair of 19-year-old rookies. No. 5 overall pick Darius Garland starts for Cleveland, and Kevin Porter Jr., the last pick in the first round, comes off the bench.
Twenty-year-old Collin Sexton scored 23 points against the Sixers twice last year and has maintained his efficiency from three-point range at a higher volume. He’s hitting 42.2 perfect from beyond the arc on 5.0 attempts per game. Sexton scored a career-high 31 points in the Cavs’ win Sunday over the Knicks, their second straight victory on the road.
‘Talent does not trump time’
As ESPN’s Zach Lowe noted, the Cavs’ starting five has played 142 minutes together and has a plus-16.1 net rating.
The Sixers’ normal starters, in contrast, have played 100 fewer minutes with each other, posting a plus-15.1 net rating.
Brett Brown said before the Sixers’ win over the Hornets Sunday that his biggest takeaway from the team’s 1-3 West Coast road trip was “the confirmation that talent does not trump time.” His starters just haven’t had much time together yet, and Tuesday’s game will be another without his preferred top five.
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