RECAP
The MVP candidate Joel Embiid proved to be way to much for the Cavs tonight in Philly, as the Sixers went nearly wire-to-wire in the 103-93 decision. Embiid tallied 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Cavs shot 47 percent from the floor and made just eight triples. Of the Cavs 16 bench points, Cedi scored 12 of them.
Darius Garland returned to the lineup tonight and scored a team-best 27 points on 11 made shots. Jarrett Allen scored 13 points and grabbed just five boards. Osman had 12, Evan Mobley scored 11 with eight boards, and Dean Wade scored 10 on 4-7 shooting.
Full recap to come.
Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.
WRAP-UP
On Saturday night, the Cavaliers got their first look at an MVP frontrunner that the rest of the Association has already seen way too much of. And it didn’t end well.
Joel Embiid was more than a handful from the opening tip, and was simply too much for the young Cavaliers from that point until Doc Rivers pulled his All-Star center with 2:54 to play with the Sixers up 17. When the smoke cleared, Philly was on the winning end of the 103-93 decision at the Wells Fargo Center – snapping Cleveland’s win streak at four.
Once again, the Wine & Gold fell behind by double-digits in the opening quarter, and once again they managed to claw their way back into contention – climbing back from 18 down to take a brief two-point edge early in the third quarter before seeing the Sixers close the period on a 20-9 run to jump permanently back into the driver’s seat.
Embiid ran his streak of scoring at least 25 points to 23 straight games – and then some – leading everyone with 40 points on 11-for-22 shooting, going 4-of-5 from long-range and 14-of-15 from the stripe, leading everyone with 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season.
After one half, it looked like an epic battle between Embiid and Darius Garland was shaping up – with the All-Stars heading to the locker room with 24 and 20 points respectively. But the Sixers got physical with Garland after intermission, holding him to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting.
Garland still paced the Wine & Gold with 27 points, going 11-for-23 from the floor overall, including 3-of-6 from deep, adding four boards, but just a single assist in contrast to six turnovers.
Jarrett Allen chipped in with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, adding five boards and a block. Evan Mobley added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with eight rebounds and Dean Wade finished with 10 points and a team-best +14 mark in 25 minutes of work.
Cedi Osman came off the bench to net 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-6 from deep, while Caris LeVert moved back to a reserve role, netting 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting, adding a team-best six assists and a pair of steals.
Tyrese Maxey (16 points) and Tobias Harris (11) were the only other Sixers to notch double-figures, who shot 48 percent from the floor and 46 percent from long-range, four of their 10 triples via the starting center.
Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.
FEATURED HIGHLIGHT
Jarrett Allen's quick first step gets him around the defender and to the rim for the easy dunk early in the first quarter.
TURNING POINT
Over the final three quarters of Saturday’s contest – the first of four meetings this year between these two – the Wine & Gold outscored Philly, 70-67. Unlike their last two meetings against Indiana, Saturday’s slow start was one they couldn’t overcome.
In that first quarter, the Sixers shot 74 percent from the floor, canning all three threes and all five free throws to take a 13-point lead. They built up an 18-point edge in the first half before the Cavs mounted their second-half surge.
The Cavaliers began the second stanza with a 10-3 run, going ahead by a point on Evan Mobley’s pullup with 8:47 to play in the period. Cleveland took a two-point lead, but Tyrese Maxey’s 23-footer gave the Sixers a lead midway through the period that they would not relinquish.
BY THE NUMBERS
By the Numbers - 23.4, 9.5 … points and assists that Darius Garland is averaging over his last 10 games – shooting .503 from the floor, .400 from long-distance and .909 from the stripe over that stretch.
During that span, Garland has eight games of 20-plus and one 30-point effort, five double-doubles and led the Cavaliers to a 7-3 record.
QUOTABLE
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on what Saturday’s loss taught his young squad …
"The intensity with which you’re going to have to play with to compete with teams like this down the stretch. It was a clear message from the beginning of the game the intensity that they were coming with. These are the tests we talk about, and these are the lessons we have to learn."
CALLS OF THE GAME
Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 89.1.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers close out the unofficial first half of the campaign – and their three-game mini-trip – on Tuesday night in Atlanta, taking on Trae Young and the Hawks for the third time this season.
On Sunday evening, the city of Cleveland and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse host the 71st annual NBA All-Star Game, with All-Star Weekend tipping off on Friday. On the other end of the Break, the Cavs travel to Detroit, then host the Wizards and Timberwolves to close out the month of February.