PHILADELPHIA, PA — Coming into the night of Wednesday, Nov. 13, Sixers fans were understandably less than enthusiastic about the game to come. The second night of a back-to-back, it had already been leaked some hours previous that Joel Embiid and Paul George would not be playing. Against the hottest team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sixers came into the game for more than shorthanded.
Despite this, Philadelphia fought, scratched, and clawed there way against the best the NBA has to offer. In what was without a doubt the team’s most impressive game of the season, the Sixers held their own heading into the final minutes of the fourth, and the man behind the push was none other than rookie sensation Jared McCain.
Eleven games into his career, McCain made his first ever NBA start. For most rookies, their first ever star, while exciting, is a nervous endeavor. The pressure, especially from a team like the Sixers, who had such high expectations entering the season, is often more than a rookie is adjusted to, but that was not the case for McCain.
Scoring an incredible 34 points, his third consecutive game with 20+ points, while dishing out 10 assists, and snagging two steals, McCain improved yet again.
While it was a loss for Philadelphia, the continued development of Jared McCain is undoubtedly a win.
McCain now not only has scored the most points in a single game by a rookie, and his first career double-double, but he is now one of just four Sixers rookies in the past 50 to have scored a combined 100 points in four consecutive games. The others are Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson, and Jerry Stackhouse. Not bad company to keep.
Ultimately, the Sixers would fall by a final score of 114-106, but the fans left feeling the game worth the price of admission, one of the few times this season that can be said.
Up next for the Sixers
The Sixers will next head south to Orlando for their second NBA Cup game. Orlando has rebounded well after an injury to Paolo Banchero added a major question mark to their season.
Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse already confirmed both Joel Embiid and Paul George will be available, and the George will no longer be on a minutes restriction begining Friday.
