Undermanned Sixers hang tough but drop to 2-9 with its latest loss to the undefeated Cavaliers

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers are far from tanking.

Yet, the amount of losses they’re racking up are reminiscent of The Process era. Wednesday’s 114-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped the Sixers to 2-9, matching the 11-game record of 2016-17 Sixers and is a worst start than the 2013-14 squad (5-6).

The 2013-14 team finished with a 16-63 record while the 2016-17 squad went 28-54. This year’s team is expected to exceed those combined win totals.

But it wasn’t a totally bad night for the Sixers, as rookie guard Jared McCain finished with career highs of 34 points, 10 assists, and two steals in his first career start.

And unlike The Process era, the Sixers losing ways have nothing to do with lack of talent.

This season has been a struggle in large part because their All-Star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey have yet to all play together. All three missed the Cavs (13-0) game due to Maxey’s strained right hamstring and Embiid and George’s left knee injury management.

The Sixers were also without reserve center Andre Drummond due to an illness.

But it’s hard to knock Philly’s effort. Playing a scrappy brand of basketball, they gave the Cavs all they could handle.

McCain continued to shine, making a career-high six three-pointers. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 20 points and six rebounds. Caleb Martin had 18 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Reggie Jackson had his best performance of the season with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench.

But the Cavs kept responding to every run or clutch basket the Sixers made.

A prime example came after McCain hit his sixth three-pointer to close the gap to two points with 5 minutes, 33 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Evan Mobley responded with a layup, plus a foul call. He converted the three-point play to give Cleveland a 101-96 cushion 17 seconds later.

They also capitalized off of the Sixers’ missed opportunities. Martin missed a layup, leading to a fast-break at the other end for the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell ended the possession by burying a corner three-pointer to make it a 106-100 game with 2:52 left.

Mitchell, a five-time All-Star, finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. He scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter on 5-for-6 shooting.

The Sixers talent levels drops several notches when their star players aren’t available. .

“I mean, listen, I don’t think there’s any, um, … we’re certainly not happy with where we’re standing right now in our record, right?” coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “We’re certainly going to have to dig our way out of this. We just got to try to do the best we can getting these guys back on the floor first and foremost and then go from there.”

Against Cleveland, the Sixers went with a starting lineup of Oubre, Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, McCain, and Kyle Lowry. Yabusele, a 6-foot-8, was the tallest available Sixer. Meanwhile, the Cavs started two 6-11 post players in power forward Mobley and center Jarrett Allen.

But their scrappy play combined with McCain’s offense kept them in the game.