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Sixers hit road again, with seven of next eight games away from the Wells Fargo Center

Joel Embiid: “We got to win those games. That’s a good test for the playoffs. You got to go out on the road and steal a couple. That’s our goal. Obviously, we’ve been good..."

Sixers guard James Harden dribbles the basketball with teammate center Joel Embiid trailing during a game at the Wells Fargo Center.
Sixers guard James Harden dribbles the basketball with teammate center Joel Embiid trailing during a game at the Wells Fargo Center.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

As if the 76ers didn’t already pay enough dues this month for their friendly schedules in November and February, now comes the really taxing part.

It’s commonly known as the month of March. But to the Sixers, it could be referred to as “The March.”

The Sixers (45-22) are about to play seven road games, with a home matchup against Chicago on March 20 sprinkled into the stretch. The excitement begins Wednesday in Cleveland, part of a three-game trip that also runs through Charlotte and Indiana. After facing the Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center, they’ll head out for four more games with stops in Chicago, Golden State, Phoenix, and Denver.

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Washington Wizards takeaways: Passing eye test; EMVPIID’s latest; P.J. Tucker’s impact

The Sixers are ready to travel.

“We’ve got to win those games,” Joel Embiid said. “That’s a good test for the playoffs. You’ve got to go out on the road and steal a couple. That’s our goal. Obviously, we’ve been good.

“We got a couple good tests coming up. So we’ve just got to be ready and make sure everybody is on the same page.”

Sunday’s 112-93 victory over the Wizards at the Wells Fargo Center extended the Sixers’ winning streak to five games. Overall, they have won 14 of 17 contests and are one of the league’s hottest road teams. At 19-12 on the season away from home, they finished 4-1 on their recent road trip and are 9-1 in the last 10 road games.

“We’ve been pretty solid on the road all year long,” James Harden said, “so [it’s] one game at a time, and no matter who we’re playing, stick to what we do and try to be the best 76ers we can be.”

Wednesday’s matchup at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be the Sixers’ third and final meeting with the Cavaliers. Having split the first two meetings, the winner will receive the head-to-head tiebreaker for playoff seeding.

That could be important. The Sixers are third in the Eastern Conference with 15 games remaining in the regular season. The Cavs (43-27) are in fourth place, 3 ½ games in back of the Sixers. Cleveland faces the struggling Hornets in Charlotte Tuesday night before entertaining the Sixers. As a result, the Sixers, who will have two days off, should have a rest advantage.

» READ MORE: Excelling individually, Joel Embiid, James Harden catapult Sixers to Eastern Conference contender

But they can’t take Cleveland lightly. The Cavs defeated the Sixers, 113-85, on Nov. 30 in Cleveland. The 28-point drubbing is the Sixers’ most lopsided setback of the season.

On that night, the Sixers had very little fight without Harden (right foot tendon strain) and Tyrese Maxey (left foot fracture). The Cavs shot 60.8% from the field and made 15 of 29 three-pointers. They built a 21-point halftime cushion after shooting 94.1% in the second quarter, missing just one of their 17 shots. Cleveland built a commanding 32-point lead midway through the third quarter.

With Harden and Maxey back, the Sixers evened the series with a 118-112 victory at The Center on Feb. 15. They had a commanding 28-point cushion late in the first half before barely escaping with the six-point victory. Cleveland All-Star Donovan Mitchell was the best player on the floor, finishing with a game-high 33 points. He scored 25 in the second half on 8-for-13 shooting, including 7 of 8 foul shots during that time.

Now, Wednesday’s game will be the start of another key stretch. The Sixers will conclude it with three tough road games after their home-and-away series with the Bulls (31-36). The Sixers will head west to face Golden State (March 24) and Phoenix (March 25) on back-to-back nights before taking on Denver on March 27, the latter of which could be the biggest game on their road trip.

» READ MORE: Dominating both ends of the court, Sixers’ Joel Embiid should dethrone Nikola Jokić as MVP

Not only does Denver (46-22) have the West’s best record, but the game will feature a matchup between Embiid and Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, the NBA’s two leading MVP candidates. Jokić won the award the previous two seasons with Embiid finishing as runner-up.

All things considered, this is expected to be a revealing 13 days for the Sixers.