Cavaliers at 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers look to get back in the win column on Friday, when they host the first half of a home-and-home set with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 76ers bolted out of the gate to win their first three games under first-year head coach Brett Brown, including the opener against the defending champion Miami Heat, but dropped two straight at home since. Their inability to defend the perimeter resulted in a 116-102 loss to previously winless Washington on Wednesday.
The Wizards hit a franchise-record 18 3-pointers against Philadelphia, which had given up a league-high average of 12.2 entering Thursday. Although their game from beyond the arc was limited early on, the Cavaliers were 12-for-28 from 3-point range in a 109-104 loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday. Kyrie Irving had his finest outing of the season with 29 points and eight assists for Cleveland.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (2-3): Cleveland has mostly done a nice job of limiting opponents on the defensive end but it struggled to slow down Milwaukee, which became the first team to score at least 100 points versus the Cavs. As was the case for Philadelphia on the same night, Cleveland failed to defend the perimeter as the Bucks buried 13-of-23 3-pointers. Philadelphia native Dion Waiters chipped in 21 points and C.J. Miles had 14 off the bench.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (3-2): Rookie Michael Carter-Williams continues to show no hesitancy playing at the highest level, and his performance has largely dictated Philadelphia's success to this point. He took 21 shots in the loss to the Wizards and has hoisted a team-high 85 through five games. The 22-year-old is shooting 46.8 percent from the floor while averaging nine assists and 2.3 turnovers in the Sixers' three wins, while posting a 31.6 percent mark, 5.5 assists and four turnovers in the team's two losses.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cleveland has been held under 100 points in each of the last nine meetings, including six in which it failed to reach 90.
2. Philadelphia C Daniel Orton is day-to-day after leaving Wednesday's game with knee soreness.
3. Cavaliers rookie F Anthony Bennett hit a 3-pointer Wednesday to snap an 0-for-15 slump to begin his NBA career.