Sixers vs. Cavaliers: 3 storylines to watch as Jimmy Butler experimentation continues

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The Sixers on Friday night take on the Cavaliers, who are currently sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference, having won just two games.

Brett Brown and company are looking to extend their undefeated start to the season at the Wells Fargo Center, which currently stands at 10.

Here are three storylines to watch for tonight’s game:

When: 7:30 p.m. ET with Sixers Pregame Live at 7 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app

Superior Sixers

The Sixers lead the league in assist percentage, assisting on 65.6 percent of their field goals. Compare that to the Cavaliers, who are one of the bottom three teams in that category, assisting on just 51.0 percent of their field goals. On top of that, the Cavaliers average just 103.4 points.

Defensively, the Cavaliers are also the last-ranked team in the league with a defensive rating of 113.4.

The Sixers should look like the better team on the floor tonight, in every possible way. 

Experimenting with Jimmy Butler

Brown said they are still really learning how to use Butler, admitting there are some things they thought would work great for him, that aren’t, and vice versa.

With the offense still in that experimentation stage with Butler, tonight should be a good opponent to test it. One of the things that Brown wants to use more of is JJ Redick and Butler in small pick-and-roll situations, with Redick as the ball carrier and Butler as the screener.

I’ll have my eye on that tonight. 

Taking care of the ball

After committing seven the other night, Joel Embiid is averaging 5.7 turnovers over his past three games. Ben Simmons is right there behind him, averaging 4.7 over the past three, after turning the ball over six times vs. New Orleans.

Simmons and Embiid must do a better job taking care of the ball vs. Cleveland. As a team, the Sixers are giving up an average of 20 points a game off their turnovers. That’s not going to cut it if the Sixers plan to get far into the playoffs this season.

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