The Sixers couldn’t overcome a very slow start and concluded a winless back-to-back Wednesday night in Cleveland.

They fell to a 132-121 loss to the Cavs. Both the Sixers and Cleveland now sit at 5-3 on the season.

Tyrese Maxey had 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Quentin Grimes scored 27 points. Andre Drummond posted a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double. Trendon Watford put up 16 points and six assists off the bench.

Donovan Mitchell starred for the Cavs with an incredible 46 points on 15-for-21 shooting and eight assists. Jarrett Allen had 24 points and Evan Mobley added 23.

Four Sixers were out on the second night of their back-to-back:

Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery)

Paul George (left knee surgery recovery)

Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration)

Jared McCain (left knee injury recovery) 

The Sixers have another back-to-back coming up this weekend. They’ll host the Raptors on Saturday and the Pistons on Sunday. 

Here are observations on their loss to the Cavs:

Nothing resembling an immediate bounce-back 

Cleveland scored the night’s first 13 points off turnovers. The Sixers were disjointed across the board and generally at around the same level as they’d been in the late stages of Tuesday night’s collapse against the Bulls.

Maxey had three early giveaways. The Sixers also missed a few open jumpers short, which of course is not a rare sight in the second game of a back-to-back. 

After Adem Bona picked up a loose ball, he had his outlet pass intercepted by Allen. Mitchell then sunk a three-pointer that gave the Cavs a quick 17-4 lead.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was clearly not thrilled with what he saw and called timeout. He brought in Grimes and Drummond to replace starters Jabari Walker and Bona. 

Watford thrives at point guard 

The Cavs led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter. In contrast to the Sixers, the Cavs ran clean offense and didn’t seem bothered by much.

Watford served as the Sixers’ lead ball handler to open the second quarter. He got an extended stretch there as Maxey rested.

The 6-foot-8 Watford did a strong job in that role, which is certainly in his comfort zone. Watford’s capable of regularly driving into the paint thanks to his size, physicality and feel for the game. He has good passing instincts once he draws help defense, too. 

The 24-year-old was also efficient as a scorer in Cleveland, shooting 5 for 9 from the floor and 4 for 4 at the foul line. Watford knocked down a wing three to bring the Sixers to within single digits. A Drummond put-back layup cut their deficit to 51-45. Drummond went 6 for 7 from the field and made his second three-pointer of the season. 

Even when Maxey checked back in, Watford started plenty of possessions with the ball in his hands. He had sharp two-man actions with Maxey, including a Maxey triple off of a dribble handoff. The Sixers trailed by just three points at halftime and Maxey had 18. 

Tough back-to-back for Edgecombe

Though a Kelly Oubre Jr. corner three knotted the game at 72-all early in the third quarter, the Cavs responded with a 13-0 run spearheaded by Mitchell and Mobley. 

Oubre found his shot in the second half and wound up with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Edgecombe was off all game and ended the evening 3 for 14 from the field. He totaled 19 points on 7-for-26 shooting in the back-to-back.

The rookie has acknowledged that he’s figuring out exactly how to take care of his body and best approach back-to-backs in the NBA. While he had a fantastic first few games as a professional, he’ll inevitably need to learn through some trial and error.

One positive note on Edgecombe: The offensive rebounding ability he showed at Baylor has carried over to the NBA. With effort, athleticism and a nose for the ball, the 20-year-old guard has recorded at least one offensive board in every game so far and averaged 2.1 per contest.

The Sixers’ defense was not close to stingy enough in the second half. The Cavs’ lead swelled to 20 points with a Mitchell scoring spree late in the third quarter and the Sixers appeared to be running on fumes early in the fourth. They somewhat hung around, trimming Cleveland’s advantage to 128-119 on a Grimes dunk with 1:21 left, but the outcome was never in true doubt.

The Sixers will head home, rest up and aim for a better back-to-back performance this weekend.