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Wrap-Up -- On Tuesday night, the shorthanded Cavaliers weren’t able to get their second win of the season over the high-profile Sixers on their home floor. But Brett Brown’s squad knew it was in a dogfight.
One night after thumping the Raptors at The Q, the Wine & Gold – going with nine healthy bodies – gave Playoff-bound Philly all it could handle at Wells Fargo Arena before running out of steam late and dropping the 106-99 decision.
Playing without Tristan Thompson, still nursing a foot injury, Larry Nance Jr., who suffered a chest injury on Friday in Miami, Kevin Love, sitting out the second-half of the back-to-back, and Marquese Chriss, serving a one-game suspension for his Monday night melee with Serge Ibaka, the Cavaliers fell behind by 16 points in the first quarter.
But instead of folding in a hostile environment on the second night of a back-to-back, the Wine & Gold clawed their way back in the second quarter, taking a one-point lead before the Sixers answered with a run of their own.
Cleveland stayed with the Sixers through the third quarter before falling behind by double-digits again midway through the fourth. But Larry Drew’s squad was undaunted – rallying back to take another one-point lead with just under three minutes to play.
But Mike Scott gave Philly the lead back on its next possession and Joel Embiid took over in the final moments – dominating the glass and scoring the game’s final six points to seal the deal.
The Cavaliers were a tough out on Tuesday, but their size disadvantage was too much to overcome. The Sixers outrebounded Cleveland, 60-37, were outscored in the paint, 64-48, and in second-chance scoring, 15-9.
Five Cavaliers tallied double-figures in the loss – led once again by the red-hot Collin Sexton, who finished with 26 points on 11-for-20 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to go with a pair of boards.
Ante Zizic records his 16th double-digit scoring game of the season.
Cedi Osman had his second straight solid performance – following up with 18 points, going 7-of-19 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from long-range, adding a team-high eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
Jordan Clarkson notched his 58th outing in double-figures off the bench, although he struggled from the floor – chipping in with 13 points and five boards, despite going just 5-for-20 from the floor, taking the collar in eight attempts from three-point range.
Ante Zizic registered 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding five boards and a pair of assists.
Brandon Knight was the fifth Cavalier in double-figures – finishing with 11 points, five boards, two steals and a block.
The Sixers got double-double performances from both Ben Simmons – who led Philly with 26 points to go with 10 boards and eight assists – and Joel Embiid – who netted eight of his 17 points and 10 of his game-high 19 boards in the fourth quarter.
Turning Point -- For as close as Tuesday’s meeting was all night, the game only featured four lead-changes.
And in a city that’s known for pugilism, it seemed like Joel Embiid was doing the rope-a-dope through the first three quarters before establishing himself with a vengeance in the closing moments.
After Mike Scott’s triple gave Philly the lead back with 2:37 to play, the Cavaliers still had a chance. But the third-year star from Kansas simply took over the game – grabbing five boards, scoring six points and blocking an Ante Zizic layup attempt with 31 seconds to play that would have gotten Cleveland to within one.
By the Numbers – 27.0, .582, .579, 1.000 … Collin Sexton’s scoring average – along with his shooting percentage from the floor (32-of-55), beyond the arc (11-of-19) and from the stripe (6-6) – over his last three games.
Quotable – Cedi Osman, on the team’s new attitude after the All-Star Break …
”After the All-Star break I think that we gave everybody a message that we’re going to be a good team, that we’re not going to give up on anybody. Whenever we have a game, we’re going to be there to play for 48 minutes, to play tough and after All-Star break I think that we improved a lot. Also, I think that now teams are respecting us. I mean, they have to; if not, then we’re going to give some trouble.”
Up Next -- After Tuesday night’s loss in the City of Brotherly Love, the Wine & Gold’s three-game roadie heads to the Sunshine State for a Thursday night rematch with the Magic – who the Cavs dropped nine days earlier at The Q. From there, it’s a stop in Dallas to take on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Saturday night. Cleveland then returns to The Q for a three-game homestand – welcoming the Pistons on Monday followed by visits from the Bucks on Wednesday and the Clippers two nights later.