For the 76ers, Saturday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers was the first of three consecutive barometer games. Give the Sixers credit. They played hard and attacked the game from the start. They just couldn’t sustain their high level of play.

However, with Joel Embiid sidelined, the Sixers were unable to match up with the Cavaliers throughout the night in a 126-99 loss on the road. Cleveland received at least 20 points

Despite a big game from Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers struggled to contain the red-hot Cavs in a lopsided loss Saturday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, Darius Garland added 16 and the Cleveland Cavaliers moved to 15-1 at home with a 124-101 win on Friday night over the Milwaukee Bucks, who played for the first time since winning the NBA Cup.

It was a matchup of two of the hotter teams in the East, as the Cavaliers (24-4) won their third in a row and for the seventh time in their last eight games. The Bucks (14-12) had