Cleveland is definitely unpredictable this season. Authors of a poor performance Monday against the Jazz at the Rocket Arena, the Cavaliers recovered in a very good way on Wednesday on the floor of the Sixers (107-133).
The start of the match is balanced and on a very offensive basis. But the Sixers, VJ Edgecombe et Joel Embiid in the lead, are already starting to leave a few balloons lying around on the way. The Cavaliers’ attack is very well in place and remains so despite the second quick foul from Darius Garland.
Even the few blunders of Donovan Mitchell or De’Andre Hunter are offset by the constant activity of the visitors on offensive rebounds (up to four in the same possession of more than a minute!). The contrast is total between a Cleveland team which gives the blows, and Philadelphia which suffers tirelessly without finding the solution on both sides of the floor. This resulted in an 18-2 run in just under six minutes to lead 12-27 after just eight minutes.
The entry of Adem Bona in place of Embiid revives Philadelphia a little near the circle. But Evan Mobley has the answer, by hitting 3-pointers to maintain the gap. There is still improvement on the Sixers side, clumsy but who no longer offer counter-attack balls or offensive rebounds to the visitors. The rear base Tyrese Maxey – VJ Edgecombe suffers (5/18 cumulative in the first period), so the duo formed by Paul George and Joel Embiid comes to the rescue. The two veterans slow down the game and stabilize the Sixers. The pivot alone brings his team to six points (47-53) through his aggressiveness under the circle. But very close to making their comeback, the locals missed the end of the second quarter with five missed shots. The punishment was immediate: Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter gave the Cavaliers a 13-point lead at halftime.
Donovan Mitchell’s dream quarter
And the correction is not over for Philadelphia. Rather discreet in the first period, Donovan Mitchell enters the scene, and brilliantly. The guard scored ten points in just over two minutes to start the third act.
Darius Garland imitated him and the duo scored 16 of the Cavaliers’ first 17 points. The Sixers cannot stop this series, nor do they find easy baskets to stay up. This has the ability to annoy the crowd at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, who accompany their players to the bench with boos as the gap swells to 22 lengths (53-75).
Nick Nurse’s timeout and the attitude of the spectators wakes up Philadelphia, with a good passage of Jabari Walkerhyperactive. The locals score a 15-4, while Garland remains on the ground, hit in the foot.
But the Sixers do not take advantage of it and again miss the opportunity to make the switch, this time less than ten points behind. And once again, the Cavaliers have a sense of timing, with another big pass from Donovan Mitchell, unleashed with 20 points in the third quarter! Cleveland flirted with a 20-point lead, then pulled away for good at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to a new 13-3. Jaylon Tyson and his three long-distance shots drove the point home and cemented Cleveland’s domination of this meeting.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Day and night for the Cavaliers. Cleveland frankly disappointed Monday against the Jazz, learning a lesson in desire and combativeness. This lesson was visibly learned on Wednesday: dominated 50-30 on the rebound on Monday, the Cavs subjected the Sixers to the same treatment in the first quarter to pull away: 15 rebounds to 9, including 8 offensive for 11 points offered on a second chance. Kenny Atkinson’s players finished with 41 assists on 50 successful shots, one of the best performances of the season.
– Concern for Darius Garland. Already absent at the start of the season after surgery on a toe on his left foot, the Cavaliers leader this time injured his right foot on a seemingly innocuous support. Kenny Atkinson has already declared him doubtful for the rematch between the two teams on Friday, as has Sam Merrill, who aggravated his hand injury.
– Missed opportunity for the Sixers. Philadelphia could have broken away from the play-in zone and gotten closer to that for the Top 4 of the Eastern Conference. But Tyrese Maxey and his team were simply too short to respond to the Cavaliers collective and they will have to do much better defensively on Friday. The match will be expensive, as the Sixers only have a victory and a half ahead of the Heat, eighth.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
