Can 76ers Bounce Back After Abysmal Loss to Cavs?

Joel Embiid dropped 42 points on Saturday against the Cavaliers, and yet it still wasn’t enough as Cleveland pulled off the upset 112-109 as 11.5 point underdogs. No one would dispute that any team can be beaten on any given night in the association, but this loss could signal a bigger problem for the 76ers down the stretch.

Philadelphia didn’t get enough out of their periphery players on the night with Tobias Harris out of the lineup. The 76ers only had three players in double figures compared to five players on the Cavaliers. It was almost like the rest of the team was content with just standing around and watching Embiid do all the heavy lifting. If that’s how the 76ers plan to play in the postseason, then they might as well forget about any chance of having a deep playoff run because that strategy will play right into the hands of the better teams in the league.

The 76ers offense needs to be a bit more imaginative, and that responsibility falls on the shoulders of head coach Doc Rivers. Unfortunately for Rivers, a lack of dynamism on offense led to his departure from the Los Angeles Clippers. They’ll need to turn things around quickly as the 76ers are just 5-5 in their last 10 games, while the Nets have trimmed their lead to just a half-game in the Atlantic division.