Sixers vs. Cavs: What Stood Out for Philly in Preseason Game 2

The Philadelphia 76ers continued their preseason on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following a dominant victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in their preseason opener, the Philadelphia 76ers returned to the court in South Philly for the first time on Wednesday. 

The Sixers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first of two matchups in the preseason. After going into Monday’s game shorthanded, the Sixers allowed the three veterans Joel Embiid, PJ Tucker, and James Harden to make their preseason debut on Wednesday.

The new-look Cavs and the Sixers engaged in a tight battle from start to finish. Through the first half of action, the Cavs controlled the game and led the Sixers 64-60 going into the intermission.

When the key starters were finished for both teams in the third quarter, the Sixers' reserves found a way to gain an edge in the second half. With a strong showing by Philly veterans Shake Milton and Montrezl Harrell down the stretch, the Sixers found a way to squeeze out a tight 113-112 victory over the Cavs.

Here are a few things that stood out on Wednesday:

First Impression of the New Starting Five

For the first time in the preseason, the Sixers rolled out their new look starting lineup. With Danny Green out of the picture, Philadelphia planned to shift Tobias Harris to the small forward position and allow their big free agent acquisition PJ Tucker to take over at the four.

After the Sixers gave Joel Embiid, James Harden, and PJ Tucker a rest night in Brooklyn, Tucker made his Philadelphia debut while Embiid and Harden made their return. As you would expect, the starting five looked rusty at the start of the game as a whole.

However, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey gave the offense life at the start, as they were the only starters to register points in the opening minutes of the game. 

Maxey picked up where he left off from Monday night and knocked down three of his first five shots, with one coming from beyond the arc. He registered seven points in the first six minutes. Meanwhile, Harris’ shot was sharp as he was a perfect 4-4 from the field and knocked down his only three attempts at the start of the matchup. 

After halftime, the starting five was finished for the night. Embiid finished the matchup with 12 points in 18 minutes. Harris and Harden had nine points apiece, while Maxey led the pack with 21 points off of 9-11 shooting. Tucker, who took just one shot in 17 minutes, didn’t register a point, but he wrapped up his night with four rebounds. 

Sixers center Paul Reed 

Paul Reed's Early Entry

When the Sixers signed Montrezl Harrell late in the offseason, it was widely assumed that Doc Rivers would roll with Harrell as the backup center behind Joel Embiid by default. So far, it seems Reed is making a strong impression at the start of his third year and challenging that theory.

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Reed garnered a lot of playing time as Embiid’s backup during training camp last week. Per Pompey’s report, Doc Rivers revealed that there will be a rotation of backups behind Embiid, including Reed, Harrell, and PJ Tucker.

So far, the trend of Reed playing as Embiid’s backup has continued two games into the preseason. During Philly’s first matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Reed started with Embiid out. Against the Cavaliers, Reed was the first center to check in when Embiid took a seat. 

Right now, it could be a matter of Rivers giving Reed as much playing time as possible to prove himself since Harrell already has more regular season experience, but it seems Reed is making a solid case to garner some minutes behind the All-Star big man this year. 

Sixers guard James Harden. 

James Harden’s First Preseason Action

A lot has been made about James Harden’s improved conditioning this offseason. As the star guard worked on getting into better shape now that his hamstring concerns are behind him, many expected to see Harden revert back to his best scoring self.

Considering Harden’s a ten-time All-Star, we can’t read too much into what he shows in the preseason. The good news is that Harden looked a step quicker getting to the basket on Wednesday, which was an area of concern since his Sixers debut last season.

The unfortunate news was that Harden’s shots were not falling frequently — and he couldn’t get the whistles going when he would drive to the rim. When Harden wrapped up his night in the first half, he finished with nine points and five assists. He drained 33 percent of his shots from the field and knocked down one of his three shots from beyond the arc in 18 minutes. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.