Cavaliers at 76ers
Philadelphia All-Star center Joel Embiid played superb in his return to the court and looks for another dominant effort when the 76ers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Embiid missed eight games due to a knee injury before contributing 33 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 106-89 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The 76ers moved into a third-place tie with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference behind the big performance from Embiid, who played 28 minutes in his first game since the Feb. 17 All-Star Game. "My focus was really defensively," Embiid told reporters. "Just being all over the place and helping my teammates. I'm glad we got the win." Cleveland is in the midst of a 6-5 stretch and the Cavaliers walloped the visiting Toronto Raptors 126-101 on Monday. Power forward Kevin Love recorded 16 points and 18 rebounds, but coach Larry Drew indicated he won't play against the 76ers on the second end of a back-to-back.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), NBCS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (17-50): Rookie point guard Collin Sexton scored 28 points versus Toronto and expertly controlled the flow of the game, which greatly impressed Drew. "I really thought it was as complete of a game as I have seen Collin play - scoring, getting us into the offense, and his decision-making," Drew told reporters afterward. "This is as complete of a game as I have witnessed with him." Sexton has put together two straight stellar outings and is averaging 27.5 points while making 21-of-35 shots during the stretch.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (42-25): The Boston Celtics are also in the mix for the No. 3 seed in the East and coach Brett Brown feels it is time for his club to step up to a higher gear. "We're on the clock, and I think that the sense of urgency and awareness of what we are getting close to, and having to perform at the level that we have to perform at is real for these players," Brown told reporters. "I can feel that there's an excitement having Joel back." Forward Tobias Harris scored 16 points against the Pacers and has reached double digits in all 13 games since being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers, while shooting guard Jimmy Butler will be rested against the Cavaliers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split this season's first two meetings with the Cavaliers recording a 121-112 victory in a visit to Philadelphia on Nov. 23.
2. 76ers SG JJ Redick was 3-of-6 from 3-point range against Indiana after being 3-of-17 over the previous two games.
3. Cleveland F Cedi Osman had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against the Raptors after averaging five points on 3-of-19 shooting over the previous two games.