76ers' Covington active, will start vs. Cavaliers

The Philadelphia 76ers' top scorer from the end of last season will make his 2015-16 debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.

Robert Covington, 24, will start for the Sixers after being diagnosed with a sprained right knee and bone bruise following the team's final preseason game. Inserting the 6-foot-9 forward into the starting lineup will subsequently send JaKarr Sampson back to the second unit.

Head coach Brett Brown is restricting Covington to 24 minutes.

During the 2014-15 campaign, he averaged 13.5 points on 39.6 percent shooting from the field, along with 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

The 76ers are 0-2 to begin the year, with losses to the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz.