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On This Day: Chris Osgood Becomes Part Of Red Wings History

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One of the most beloved former members of the Detroit Red Wings is goaltender Chris Osgood, who has his name on the Stanley Cup three times as a member of the club. 

Not only did Osgood back up Conn Smythe Trophy winner Mike Vernon in 1997 despite getting the bulk of starts in the regular season, but Osgood then would lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup as a starter ten years apart, both in 1998 and 2008. 

It was on this day in 1999 that Osgood picked up the 150th victory of his NHL career, which at that point had been played exclusively in Detroit. The Red Wings picked up a 2-1 win at Joe Louis Arena over the expansion Nashville Predators thanks to the game-winning tally scored by former Russian Five member Slava Kozlov. 

In doing so, he became just the third goaltender in Red Wings history to achieve the feat.

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Red Wings fans well remember the acquisition of Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek (acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for Kozlov) in the legendary summer of 2001, during which they also brought aboard Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.

After initially participating in Training Camp and part of the pre-season with the Red Wings, Osgood was exposed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the New York Islanders, whom he would lead not only to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but within a victory of a first round upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Osgood, who would later play a stint with the rival St. Louis Blues, returned to the Red Wings as an unrestricted free-agent in 2005. He'd play the rest of his career with the Red Wings, which included not only winning the Stanley Cup in 2008 and coming within a victory of repeating in 2009, but the 400th victory of his NHL career in December 2010, which fittingly came against the Colorado Avalanche. 

It's one of the more contested debates in hockey circles as to why Osgood, the second winningest goaltender in Red Wings history and who won the Stanley Cup twice as a starter, hasn't been yet inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

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Rangers Top Prospect Makes Best Young Players List

New York Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault is a player who the Original Six club is expecting to be a big part of their future. It is understandable, as the 20-year-old forward undoubtedly has the potential to become a very good NHL player. 

Now, Perreault's potential has led to him receiving some praise.

Perreault was the only Ranger who made Corey Pronman's latest NHL players and prospects under 23 rankings for The Athletic. Perreault was given the No. 120 spot on Pronman's list. 

When noting that Perreault has the tools to become a top-six forward in the NHL, it makes sense that he has been ranked among the top young players in the sport. 

Perreault has shown promise during his first full professional season in 2025-26. In 20 games with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, he has recorded 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points. With numbers like these, he has certainly demonstrated his offensive upside at the AHL level.

Perreault's success in the AHL has also allowed him to get chances on the Rangers' roster this season, too. In 14 games this season with the Rangers, the 2023 first-round pick has recorded one goal, four assists, five points, and an even plus/minus rating. 

It will now be interesting to see how Perreault performs as the season rolls on. There is no question that he has a bright future with the Blueshirts. 

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Hornets to retire No. 30 jersey of long-time franchise player, broadcaster Dell Curry

Dell Curry is more than just a father and the guy who likes to golf with his sons Stephen and Seth — he's an NBA legend in his own right.

Which is why the Hornets announced that on March 19, they will retire Curry's No. 30 jersey. Curry spent 10 seasons as a player with the Charlotte Hornets, won Sixth Man of the Year with the team, and has now spent the last 17 years as the team's color commentator.

"When I first came to Charlotte in 1988, the city embraced my family and me in a way I never expected," Curry said in a statement. "I was blessed to join an organization that believed in me, play alongside teammates who would become life-long friends and compete in front of the most passionate fans in the NBA. I'm proud to continue being part of the Hornets organization and this community today. Having my jersey retired is an honor I never imagined, and I'm forever grateful to Rick and Gabe as well as the entire organization. Charlotte shaped so many meaningful moments in my life, and I'm humbled by this recognition."

This is part of an effort by Hornets Co-Chairmen/owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin to grow the connection between the team and community, and as part of that the franchise's history.

Dell Curry is a big part of that history. A 3-point sharpshooter, Curry was a key part of some of the best Hornets teams including three 50-plus win campaigns and four playoff appearances. Curry remains the team's all-time leader in games played (701), and is second in points (9,839), field goals made (3,951) and 3-point field goals (929).

For a younger generation of Hornets fans, he has always been the color analyst on the broadcasts.

The jersey retirement will happen during a halftime ceremony on March 19, when Charlotte hosts Orlando.

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Trae Young reportedly to be out past the All-Star break with right MCL, quad injuries

When the Trae Young to Washington trade went down, one of the big questions was how much Young would play for the Wizards this season. Washington has motivation not to be too good this season and Young is the kind of player who raises a team's floor (at least) and wins games.

Young will remain out with right MCL and quad injuries through the All-Star break in a month, at which point he will be re-evaluated, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

It doesn't seem coincidental that this report comes out just as there were growing questions around the league about whether the Wizards were running afoul of the league's player participation policy. Those are the rules the league put in place a few years ago to make sure star players are on the court — and Young, an All-Star the past four years, qualifies. Young had already returned from an MCL issue, and quad injuries don't usually take very long to recover from.

The Hawks held Young out with that quad contusion prior to the trade, but the expectation was that, once traded, he would be instantly, almost miraculously healthy (as many other players have been in that situation over the years).

Except, the Wizards are not looking to win too much. Washington owes its first-round pick to New York, but it is top eight protected heading into what is expected to be a very good draft at the top. The Wizards currently have the fourth-worst record in the league, and, even if things go poorly with the lottery, they cannot lose their pick. Even if Washington enters the lottery with the fifth- or sixth-worst record, there is a greater than 96% chance it keeps the pick. However, get to the seventh-worst record or better and the Knicks suddenly start to feel a lot better. Young, as a guy who can just win a team games, can mess up their plans.

Injury or no, there have been "rumbles" that the Wizards might give Young a two-year contract extension, reports NBA insider Marc Stein at The Stein Line. Young has a player option for $48.9 million next season. If he is willing to waive it, the Wizards might offer him two years with more guaranteed money overall but less per season (two years, $70-$75 million). It's something to watch.

As is when Young will actually step on the court for the Wizards.

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Flyers suffer season-worst fourth straight loss as Vladar exits with injury

Flyers suffer season-worst fourth straight loss as Vladar exits with injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

This one felt like a perfect storm for the Flyers.

They lost their No. 1 goaltender to an injury and their losing streak hit a season-worst four games as they fell to the Sabres, 5-2, Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.

Dan Vladar exited after the first period with an undisclosed injury. The Flyers were down 2-0 when he departed and trailed 4-1 at second intermission.

Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras provided the team’s goals.

The Flyers (22-15-8) are 0-3-1 on this skid and have been outscored 19-6.

Buffalo has won 14 of its last 16 games, a stretch that has included two victories over Rick Tocchet’s club. The Flyers went 1-2-0 in their regular-season series with the Sabres (25-16-4).

• Vladar allowed two goals on five shots in the first period.

The Flyers fell down 1-0 for the 31st time in 45 games. Cam York was whistled for crosschecking and Rasmus Dahlin took advantage 14 seconds later on Buffalo’s power play.

The Sabres made it 2-0 when Mattias Samuelsson scored seven seconds after Zegras committed a neutral-zone turnover.

“You can’t come back all the time,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “I know we’ve had one of the better records coming back, but it’s too hard to play that way, we don’t have the team to do that, so we’ve got to buckle down.”

Samuel Ersson took over at the start of the second period and converted six saves on eight shots. Buffalo’s final goal was an empty-netter.

It probably goes without saying that the Flyers are in trouble if Vladar has to miss time. He has been arguably the most important player to their playoff push, while Ersson is going through the toughest stretch in his NHL career.

Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 20 of the Flyers’ 22 shots. He robbed Nikita Grebenkin just 6:05 minutes into the game with a glove save, which allowed Buffalo to strike first about three and a half minutes later.

• Jamie Drysdale returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury.

He played in place of Rasmus Ristolainen, who was a late scratch because of an upper-body injury. The Flyers are considering him day to day.

The 31-year-old defenseman had been out until mid-December recovering from a second triceps tendon rupture.

Bobby Brink missed a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. Denver Barkey was also not in the lineup as the Flyers gave the 20-year-old rookie a night to watch.

• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit the Penguins (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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Precious Achiuwa's ‘contagious' energy propels Kings to third consecutive win

Precious Achiuwa's ‘contagious' energy propels Kings to third consecutive win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The primary storyline entering Wednesday night was New York Knicks coach Mike Brown returning to Golden 1 Center for the first time since being fired by the Kings just over a year ago.

But Sacramento forward Precious Achiuwa ended up stealing the spotlight in a “revenge game” of his own — his first game against his previous team from Manhattan since moving across the country as an NBA free agent this past offseason.

The former Knick recorded season highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds en route to leading the Kings to a 112-101 win, though Achiuwa maintained this matchup held no extra importance to him.

“I don’t think it was extra motivation,” Achiuwa told reporters postgame. “I just think it was continuing to build on the success we’ve had in the last couple games, you know, just continuing to carry that over. Just go out there and play hard, play the right way, and that was the result.”

Achiuwa was a clear spark plug on the offensive end and made sure to celebrate right in front of former teammate OG Anunoby after hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.

But that scoring success appeared to be a product of his defensive intensity, at least in the eyes of his coach Doug Christie.

“He was locked in on the defensive end, because he was accepting an assignment in [Knicks guard Jalen Brunson] that is a huge one,” Christie explained about Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8 forward that typically might not be expected to defend a point guard. “I mean, he’s an MVP candidate — all the different things that come along with Jalen Brunson. The ability for him to be willing and ready to step into that, I think that just locks him in.”

And in order to be able to defend effectively a player of Brunson’s caliber, it’s almost a necessity to have a certain level of self-confidence and belief — which Achiuwa doesn’t appear to lack on defense.

“Defense is something that I can hang my hat on, any time, any day, any night,” Achiuwa asserted. “A lot of guys around the league talk about defense — I put myself up there with the best of them, being able to guard point guards all the way through centers. If you look at the last 10 games or so, I’ve guarded pretty much … every position from point guards to centers.”

Achiuwa’s primary defensive assignment didn’t last long; Brunson rolled his right ankle within the opening five minutes and didn’t return. But that didn’t deter Achiuwa’s energy on either end, with the 26-year-old out of Queens adding two assists, two steals and two blocks to his stat line.

“He was aggressive downhill, driving, making sure he was getting to the basket,” Christie added. “There’s not a selfish bone in his body, so he’s a willing passer. But the biggest thing on [the box score] is the 14 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end, and just grown-man basketball all around.”

Achiuwa has played 39, 30 and 30 minutes in the Kings’ last three games — that’s three of his four highest minute totals this season, with the lone exception being 34 minutes in an overtime game in November. In what perhaps isn’t a coincidence, Wednesday’s win gave Sacramento (11-30) its first three-game winning streak of the 2025-26 NBA season.

And Achiuwa’s intensity hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“Precious, I can’t believe he was a free agent when we picked him up,” Zach Lavine told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live” while Achiuwa lit the beam. “Playing against him the last five, six years, and then being able to actually have him come in and bring energy. He’s a defensive guy, but he can play 1 through 5. He’s knocking down some threes, which I haven’t seen, but you know, we’ll take it. His pressure, his energy, and the way every day he comes into the facility, he brings happiness.”

To be fair, Maxime Raynaud’s parents also have been in attendance for all three of the Kings’ consecutive wins, so maybe the reasoning behind this hot stretch is twofold. But Raynaud appreciated Achiuwa’s effort, too.

“I thought he started off super aggressive, first by scoring, but also getting stops and getting big-time rebounds, so his energy is contagious,” Raynaud told Ragan and Mason postgame. “He started it, and then everybody just picked up from there. He was definitely the leader of our team tonight.”

Now a perfect 3-0 to start its seven-game homestand, Sacramento welcomes the Washington Wizards on Friday night as the team looks to continue playing their best ball of the season.

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European football: Inter edge Lecce to stretch lead, Bayern earn comeback win

  • Inter 1-0 Lecce, Cologne 1-3 Bayern Munich

  • Ajax thrashed 6-0 by AZ Alkmaar in Dutch Cup

Francesco Pio Esposito was the hero for Inter, the substitute’s 78th-minute goal earning a 1-0 home win over lowly Lecce to boost their title hopes.

The Serie A leaders laboured against stubborn opposition before Esposito scored from a rebound with 12 minutes remaining. Inter move six points clear of Milan and Napoli with victory in what could be a major turning point in this season’s title race.

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5 Penguins Ranked Among NHL's Best Young Players

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the middle of a retool. Due to this, they have many young players in their system who they are hoping will be big parts of their future. 

Now, a handful of the Penguins' promising youngsters have earned some big praise. 

In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.

When noting that these five players are viewed as having good upside, it is not surprising in the slightest that they each have made Pronman's rankings. They each have the potential to be nice parts of the Penguins' roster in the future. In fact, Kindel is already cementing himself as just that, as the 18-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and 19 points in 42 games this season for Pittsburgh. 

As for Brunicke, Horcoff, McGroarty, and Murashov, it is hard not to feel optimistic about their futures with the Penguins. Perhaps this group and Kindel could help make up Pittsburgh's future core later down the road. 

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Senators-Rangers: Ottawa's 2020 NHL Draft Lottery Heartbreak Became A Blessing

As most Ottawa Senators fans are well aware, the 2020 NHL Draft has panned out quite well for their team. Of course, back then, the day belonged to the New York Rangers, who will host the Senators at MSG on Wednesday night.

After making the playoffs (or at least that weird COVID-induced qualifying round), the Rangers somehow won the 2020 draft lottery and the right to draft QMJHL superstar Alexis Lafreniere first overall.

Lafreniere was everybody's number one that year. The Senators had two lottery tickets, their own and San Jose's, so they had a good shot at number one. Sens fans had their fingers crossed, pleading with the hockey gods that the bingo balls would fall their way.

New Senators goalie James Reimer says he's pumped to get another opportunity in Ottawa.

But even though the Rangers finished 18th overall in the standings, with 17 more points than Ottawa, it was New York that defied their long odds to win the lottery. The Sens ended up "settling" for the third and fifth overall picks.

Now, five and a half years later, Sens fans are thankful for those unanswered 2020 prayers and that things worked out the way they did.

Lafreniere hasn't turned out to be the generational talent that everyone expected. In fact, given the chance, the Blueshirts would probably trade him without hesitation to Ottawa for either Tim Stützle or Jake Sanderson, the two players the Senators selected just minutes after Lafreniere was taken.

The late Alex Trebek made the Stutzle pick, not knowing the Sens were about to pull off a Daily Double. 

Stützle has 46 points in 45 games for the Senators, while Jake Sanderson has 33 points and is now regarded as one of the very best defencemen in hockey. Meanwhile, Lafreniere has 24 points in 47 games in his sixth season as a Ranger.

Both Ottawa players are headed for the Olympics next month, while Lafreniere headed for the Rangers' third line on Monday. Head coach Mike Sullivan pulled him out of the top six for Monday's game against the Seattle Kraken, replacing him with a newer model: former Boston College star Gabriel Perreault, the club's 2023 first-rounder.

Sullivan, who's one win away from 500 victories in his head-coaching career, says he wants to see more from Lafreniere.

"Part of my job is trying to provide a pathway for players to thrive and succeed," Sullivan told the New York media on Monday morning. "Laf is an extremely talented player. He's a good player. We think he's capable of next-level play. We're trying to find a way to get him there, and that's part of this process that we're going through.

"Laf is another guy that cares a lot about what's going on here, and he also puts a lot of pressure on himself to contribute in a way that helps the team win. So we're trying to tweak the lineup in ways that we think give us the best chance to win and try to get the most out of certain guys."

Many Sens fans will recall how it was over 30 years ago when another QMJHL prospect named Alex was everybody's number one, a so-called can't-miss prospect. Instead, Alexandre Daigle had himself a good, average NHL career, nothing more. Lafreniere is having a very good career as well, and at 24, his story has only partially been written, but after five and a half seasons, we now have a pretty good sample size to judge his future trajectory.

But that's how it goes sometimes. And as long as the NHL is out here drafting unpredictable 18-year-olds, there are always going to be cases like these that turn draft lottery winners into losers... and vice versa.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:

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Red Wings Announce Sheldon Dries' Return To Grand Rapids

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The Detroit Red Wings fulfilled their need for a 13th forward on their roster after sending down John Leonard to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins when they summoned forward Sheldon Dries.

Dries, who has yet to appear in a single NHL game for the Red Wings this season, has since been returned back to Grand Rapids. 

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A native of Macomb, Michigan, Dries played four seasons for the Western Michigan Broncos and has over 100 games of NHL experience with the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks. 

Dries, who signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings in July 2024, has contributed to the record-breaking success of the Griffins this season. He's appeared in 26 games and tallied 11 goals while adding 14 assists. 

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Flyers Announce Good News Ahead Of Sabres Matchup

The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14. The Flyers will be looking to get back into the win column after losing each of their last three games. 

The Flyers are certainly going up against a hot Sabres club, as Buffalo has won 13 out of their last 15 games. This included the Sabres defeating the Flyers by a 5-3 final score on Dec. 18.

However, ahead of their contest against the Sabres, the Flyers announced some good news. The Metropolitan Division club shared that defenseman Jamie Drysdale has been activated off injured reserve. 

Drysdale has not played since receiving a dirty hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ross Johnston on Jan. 6, which forced the Flyers blueliner to exit the game. Yet, with Drysdale now being activated off injured reserve, he is now available to play against Buffalo. 

Drysdale being ready to return is excellent news for the Flyers, as he is a very important part of their blueline. The 23-year-old defenseman is in the middle of a solid year with Philadelphia, as he has posted three goals, 15 assists, 18 points, and a plus-1 rating in 41 games so far this season. 

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Report: Left-hander Ranger Suárez and Boston Red Sox agree to 5-year contract, $130 million

Left-hander Ranger Suárez and the Boston Red Sox agreed Wednesday to a $130 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.

An All-Star in 2024, Suárez had spent his entire professional career with the Philadelphia Phillies after signing at age 16 in April 2012. The 30-year-old from Venezuela pitched out of the bullpen early on but has been a steady performer and mostly a reliable winner since moving into the rotation exclusively in 2022.

The deal is the first for a major league free agent for the Red Sox this season. It comes days after they were outbid for Alex Bregman by the Chicago Cubs, who gave the incumbent Boston third baseman a five-year, $175 million deal with a no-trade clause that the Red Sox wouldn’t offer.

Instead, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow bolstered the pitching staff with a lefty who doesn’t throw hard but limits home runs and keeps batters off balance by changing speeds and hitting the corners.

Suárez was 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA last season in 26 starts covering a career-high 157 1/3 innings, then became a free agent for the first time and turned down a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from Philadelphia in November.

His calling card is consistency. Suárez went 8-5 with a 1.36 ERA and four saves in 12 starts and 27 relief outings in 2021. He finished 10-7 with a 3.65 ERA over 29 starts and 155 1/3 innings the following season, then fell off to 4-6 with a 4.18 ERA across 22 starts in 2023, when he landed on the injured list for a left elbow strain and later for a right hamstring strain. But he bounced right back the next year, going 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA in 27 starts and 150 2/3 innings.

During that stretch, he was a big reason the Phillies made four straight playoff appearances from 2022-25, winning one National League pennant and back-to-back NL East titles the past two years.

Suárez has been outstanding on the mound in postseason play, too, going 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA and one save in eight starts and three relief appearances totaling 42 2/3 innings.

Overall in eight regular seasons in the majors, he is 53-37 with a 3.38 ERA, two shutouts and four saves in 187 games, including 119 starts. He has struck out 705 batters and walked 240 in 762 innings.

Back trouble has been an issue occasionally. Three times in the past four seasons Suárez spent time on the IL for lower back spasms, soreness or stiffness.

He joins a rotation projected to include left-hander Garrett Crochet, right-handers Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello and perhaps rookie Payton Tolle or Connelly Early.

Because Suárez turned down the qualifying offer, the Phillies get an additional draft pick after the fourth round of the amateur draft this July as compensation.

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Kraken Rookie Berkley Catton’s First NHL Goal Has Sparked His Offensive Production

It took him a while to notch his first NHL goal, but since then, Berkly Catton has been on a tear, showing anyone who doubted he belonged in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken wrong. 

In Catton’s 28th career NHL game, he finally notched his first career goal. He threw the monkey off his back and scored his second career goal in the same game. Since his first tally, the 20-year-old (turning 20 years old today) has scored four goals in his last four games. 

Prior to scoring his first NHL goal, the belief was that Catton was doing a lot of things right on the ice, but it just wasn’t translating to production. His speed, skating, and creativity with the puck were evident every time he touched the ice, and the consensus was that a breakthrough was imminent.

We are now experiencing that breakthrough.

“Some of the other games, I thought I was even better than (I’ve been) in the games I’ve been scoring,” said Catton about his play as of late. “Sometimes that’s the way hockey works, and when they’re going in, they’re going in.”

Catton’s rookie totals now see him with four goals and nine points in 31 games. He’s played more so on the third line this year, averaging 12:58 of ice time. Catton’s strength is still something he needs to work on to become a high-end NHL player, but with the skillset he possesses, there’s no reason to believe that when that does come, he can be the Kraken’s top offensive threat.

“100 percent,” Catton said when asked about whether he’s improved on battling for pucks in front of the net and in the corners. “When you come in and those first couple games and those first couple months, it’s kind of an eye opener how strong guys are. How hard you have to compete, especially as maybe not the biggest guy on the ice, having to use your skating ability and edges.”

Matty Beniers Is Blossoming Into The Two-Way Threat The Kraken Need During His Five-Game Point StreakMatty Beniers Is Blossoming Into The Two-Way Threat The Kraken Need During His Five-Game Point StreakWith points in five straight, Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers is finding his offensive stride, and he's driving the Kraken’s offense.

He’s been skating on a line with Shane Wright and Jared McCann recently, two offensievly gifted players but also two players with attentiveness to the defensive side of the game. They’ve helped Catton recently as much as he’s helped them.

The key for Catton is to keep the momentum going. The more he plays, the more he’ll learn, and right now, that’s all they can ask out of their rookie.

Additionally, Berkly Catton has not only burned a year on his entry-level contract but also accrued a season towards unrestricted free agency, having been on the NHL active roster for 40 games.

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Observations after Sixers get blown out by Cavs to kick off homestand

Observations after Sixers get blown out by Cavs to kick off homestand  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers certainly did not begin their six-game homestand with their finest performance Wednesday night. 

They fell to a 133-107 loss to the Cavs at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dropping to 22-17 on the season. Cleveland moved to 23-19. 

Joel Embiid’s 20 points topped the Sixers. Paul George added 17.

Cavs star Donovan Mitchell tallied 35 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Darius Garland had 20 points and seven assists. Evan Mobley posted 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

The Sixers remained at full strength to begin the evening. Cleveland was down Dean Wade (left knee contusion) and Max Strus (left foot fracture surgery). 

The Cavs and Sixers will play the second game of their mini-series Friday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on the Sixers’ blowout loss Wednesday:

Cavs surge ahead early 

Garland swished a three-pointer for the game’s first basket and Cleveland made its first four field goals.

While the Sixers kept pace for a while and went up 10-9 on an Embiid top-of-the-key three, the Cavs pushed in front with a 10-0 run.

The Sixers were inferior early in both the turnover and rebounding departments. They conceded 11 second-chance points in a little over six minutes. As a team, the Sixers were often unable to match the Cavs’ physicality, track the ball and close out possessions. 

Embiid slammed the ball down in frustration after being whistled for traveling on the perimeter. That turnover was Embiid’s fourth and the Sixers’ sixth. At that stage, the Cavs still had zero giveaways. 

Small role for McCain 

Embiid did reach 13,000 career points in the first quarter. 

He watched from the sidelines early in the second as George took command of the Sixers’ offense. Though George drained two threes early in the second quarter, the Sixers still trailed by 14 points when Embiid subbed back in.

Searching for anything effective, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tried out many of his bench options in the first half. Jared McCain was the 11th Sixer to see action, checking at the 6:16 mark of the second period.

McCain played just three minutes in the second quarter and missed a short baseline jumper on his only shot attempt. His next stint began around the midpoint of the fourth quarter with the Sixers down by 25 points. Though he’s played in 27 consecutive games, the second-year guard’s minutes have been minimal lately. The 21-year-old has had four straight outings under 10 minutes.

It’s a somewhat tricky situation for Nurse and the team to manage. The Sixers want McCain to gradually regain rhythm and confidence after returning from thumb and knee injuries. They also want to maximize their chances to win games and McCain has generally played well below the level he showed as an impressive rookie. 

There’s pros and cons to whatever approach the Sixers choose from here. Playing McCain a handful of minutes per game does not appear to be a good long-term solution. 

Sixers’ momentum short-lived

The game halted early in the third quarter when Dominick Barlow hit the floor hard and landed on his back after Mobley blocked his layup.

Barlow was down for several minutes and helped off the court by his teammates. He was officially ruled out with a back contusion late in the third quarter.

Once the action resumed, the Cavs extended their lead. Darius Garland’s layup gave Cleveland a 75-53 advantage, Nurse called timeout and the home fans booed.

The Sixers replied with a high-energy 10-0 run.

Jabari Walker provided ample hustle. Embiid dove into the stands in pursuit of a long rebound. A little later, Walker’s second steal led to a Tyrese Maxey fast-break layup that cut the Sixers’ deficit to 79-68.

Cleveland was soon back in control. The Sixers’ comeback ambitions were not helped by the fact that both members of their starting backcourt had inefficient games. Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 23 points on 8-for-26 shooting.