Cavs Win Big Over Philly on Wednesday Night

That was just what the doctor ordered. 

Coming off a difficult loss and an uneven weekend on the road, the Wine and Gold returned to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to blast the shorthanded Sixers – taking a double-digit lead early in the second quarter and never looking back, taking the 113-85 decision on Wednesday night to record their fifth straight home win.

The victory snapped Philly’s four-game win streak over the Cavaliers, who improved to 9-1 at home this year – the second-best home mark in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics’ 10-1 mark. Boston’s lone home loss was an overtime defeat to the Wine and Gold back in late October.

Playing without James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers jumped out to an early touchdown lead. But Mamadi Diakite, making his first start of the season for an injured Jarrett Allen, drilled a three-pointer to tie the game soon after. Philly took a one-point edge late in the first quarter, but that was as good as it would get for Doc Rivers squad – who saw the Cavaliers shoot a blistering 61 percent from the floor, including 52 from beyond the arc. 

Every player who dressed for the Cavaliers got in the scoring column – led by Caris LeVert, who finished with 22 points off the bench, his best scoring effort since a 21-point night back on November 9, going 8-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, adding six boards, four assists and a steal in 33 action-packed minutes of work. 

Darius Garland followed up with 21 points – going 9-for-16 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from deep, leading both teams with nine assists in the win.

Donovan Mitchell had a solid 18-point night, going 5-of-9 from the floor, with all five field goals coming from three-point range, adding six assists, a pair of steals and a block. But maybe the best number from Mitchell’s night was that he only had to log 26 minutes in the one-sided victory. 

Evan Mobley had another solid showing – pitching in with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, adding eight boards, three helpers and a block. Isaac Okoro also finished in double-figures, adding 11 points, five boards and three steals in 22 minutes off the bench. 

Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 19 points, six boards and six assists, but looked slightly disengaged for most of the night. Shake Milton was the only other Sixer in double-figures, netting 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

One quick look at the boxscore will tell you where Wednesday night’s game turned. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Wine and Gold almost couldn’t miss – literally – in the second. 

Cleveland shot the ball at a 55 percent clip in that opening quarter, taking a four-point edge after one. But in the second, they were an obscene 16-of-17 from the floor, hitting all five three-pointers they attempted and going 7-of-8 from the stripe, with Evan Mobley missing the only shot of the quarter.

When the smoke cleared, the Cavs had outscored the Sixers, 44-27, in the period – taking a 21-point advantage into the locker room and cruising to the finish line after intermission.

.941 … Cleveland’s field goal percentage in the second quarter of Wednesday’s win, the highest percentage in a quarter for the Cavaliers since play-by-play data was tracked in 1997-98. It was also the highest percentage of any NBA team since the Dallas Mavericks went 16-of-17 in the first quarter against Utah in 2014. 

The Cavs – which set a season-high with 44 points in the second period – also shot 73 percent from the floor in the first half, their highest FG percentage in any opening stanza since January 2005.

 Caris LeVert, on where the team is at the quarter turn of the season …

“For us, we don’t try to put too many expectations on anything. We try to work thought it every day. We try to get better every day. I think we’re in a good spot right now. Obviously, with the game tonight, we played really well. But I think for us to take that next step, we need to play better on the road. Obviously, we’re handling business at home. But if you want to be a great team, you have to handle your business on the road.”

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 98.1.

After smushing Philly on Wednesday night, the Cavaliers play one more at home – welcoming in Paolo Banchero and the Magic on Friday night – before a quick one-game trip to the mecca of hoops, traveling to New York for a Sunday night matchup with the Knicks. 

The Wine and Gold return home for a three game homestand – beginning with a meeting against LeBron and the Lakers next Tuesday, followed by visits from the Kings and Thunder – before a two-game trip to Texas the following week.