Key for Sixers: Avoid defeats in the second half of the season like Saturday’s loss to Cleveland

In a 72-game NBA season, there are going to be clunkers, which the 76ers certainly experienced during Saturday’s 112-109 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The key is to keep such games to a limit.

As the first half of the season is coming to a close, the Sixers (22-12) have some bad losses to the bottom feeders of the Eastern Conference. The Sixers hold a half game lead over the Brooklyn Nets in an Eastern Conference that had only three teams with winning records entering Sunday’s action.

Any of the major Eastern Conference contenders would like to avoid that potential semifinal between the No. 2 and No. 3 seed, which is why the No. 1 seed is so important.

The Sixers have played 11 games against teams who are currently five games or more below .500 entering Sunday and they are 7-4 in such games.

Is that good enough?

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Two of the losses are to Cleveland (13-21). The others are to Atlanta (14-19) and to Detroit (9-24).

In all four losses, the Sixers were missing critical players.

Joel Embiid didn’t play in the first loss to Cleveland and the defeat to Detroit, missing both games with back tightness. Ben Simmons missed the Atlanta loss with left knee soreness and Tobias Harris, Shake MIlton and Matisse Thybulle were out that game due to health and safety protocols. Harris, of course also missed Saturday’s loss to Cleveland with a bruised right knee.

That said, teams are missing players all the time, especially in these COVID times.

Just look at the Cavaliers. They only dressed nine players on Saturday, but had much more pep than the Sixers.

Before the loss, the Sixers had been playing well, having won two in a row and four of their previous five games. Cleveland has now won three in a row, but before that, the Cavaliers had dropped 10 consecutive games.

Things can turn quickly in the NBA.

After Saturday’s loss, Ben Simmons, who had 24 points, but seven turnovers, was asked if the Sixers may have overlooked Cleveland.

“Definitely, I mean that happens,” Simmons said. “But at the end of the day they have already had our number, they have beaten us in Cleveland. We know they play hard, they are a tough team to play, they are gritty.”

If anything, this Cleveland loss should prove that if the Sixers don’t have the energy, something coach Doc Rivers said was quite apparent, then they can lose to anybody.

The Sixers have just two home games left before the all-star break, Monday against Indiana and Wednesday’s against Utah.

In the second half of the season, the Sixers play 14 of their 36 games against teams that entered Sunday five or more games below .500.

Dominating those teams will be a key if the Sixers look to hold onto their Eastern Conference lead.

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It’s quite possible that some of these teams may actually be fewer than five games under .500 by the time they face the Sixers. A team like Atlanta, which has been a disappointment, could be improved in the second half. The Sixers face the Hawks twice.

The reverse of that is also possible. For instance, Sacramento was considered at least a solid team when the Sixers visited the Kings on Feb. 9. Sacramento took a 12-11 record into the game and had won four in a row, against New Orleans, Boston, Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Sixers scored a hard-earned 119-111 victory over the Kings. That loss began a nine-game losing streak for the Kings that was finally snapped with Friday’s win at Detroit. The Kings took a 13-20 record into Sunday’s action.

So things change, but the point is that the Sixers will have plenty of games against teams that are five or more games below .500. And there will be others against sub .500 teams.

If Saturday’s game taught them anything is that why they are talented, they aren’t good enough to overlook any team on their schedule.