The Philadelphia 76ers came into Friday night’s clash with the Cleveland Cavaliers reeling from two straight losses but, more recently, a controversial loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. They lost a tough game in the final seconds Wednesday night due to some dubious officiating during the final three plays involving Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Cavs came into the game on a skid of their own, losing four of their last five including two games against the Miami Heat, who are just above the Sixers in the standings. The Cavs have been dealing with injuries, too, but had their star Donovan Mitchell return to the lineup after several weeks out due to various injuries.
With the Cavs trying to move back into the third seed in the Eastern Conference and the Sixers fighting to get out of the play-in tournament, both teams would try to put their best foot forward for a win.
Sixers-Cavs game recap
The first quarter was a struggle for both teams offensively, with each team having some extended periods of bad shooting. The Sixers compounded their issues with some brutal turnovers by Paul Reed and some late bad defense, leaving knockdown shooter Sam Merrill open for threes.
One Sixers who had it going in the first quarter was Tobias Harris, including eight first-quarter points and some aggressive shooting from beyond the arc. Although the Sixers made a ton of first-quarter mistakes, the Cavs were only up three going into the second quarter.
The offense picked up in the second quarter for both teams, even though each team’s stars didn’t score well through the first half. For the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey didn’t shoot well at all, going 2-12 and missing a technical foul shot at the line. With Maxey struggling, Tobias Harris and Paul Reed helped keep the Sixers in it, combining for 26 points and 9 rebounds at halftime.
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were both in single digits, while the bench picked up the scoring slack for Cleveland. Former Sixer Georges Niang and knock-down shooter Sam Merrill kept the Cavs’ offense humming by knowing down six threes.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with each team going on runs to try to seize the game but the other responding immediately. The Sixers worked hard defensively late in the third quarter to help take a lead into the final period, but it seemed like they were just holding on, hoping for their star to come alive.
Lowry and Mo Bamba kept the Sixers in and even had the lead with less than a minute to go but couldn’t recover after a clutch Evan Mobley three to take the lead back. Maxey had a chance to tie it with a few seconds to go but missed to cap a dismal shooting night for him. The Sixers lose to the Cavs 117-114 to lose their third straight and second tough one in a row.
Revenge tour
Georges Niang signed a multi-year deal this offseason with the Cavs after two years in South Philly. The fan favorite had his fair share of good moments with the Sixers but made it a point to terrorize his old team in this matchup. He was left open in the corner multiple times as defenders pinched down from the strong corner, defending the pick and roll.
Once he made a few, he drove the ball on closeouts and got some tough floaters to go. He even made it a point to talk trash not only to his former team but to the Sixers’ announcers as well. It was all in good spirits, but his impact was felt. Niang ended the night with 25 points and knocked down 5 three-pointers.
Not his night
With the team fighting to get out of the play-in and in a matchup he has had success against, Tyrese Maxey had one of his worst nights scoring this season. He couldn’t get anything going, shooting 7 of 26 from the floor and only hitting 2 of the 12 three-pointers that he put up.
If there was any indication that he would have a tough night, it was in the first half when he missed a technical foul shot off the side of the rim. He tried to contribute in other ways, tallying 11 assists, getting a clutch steal late, and converting on a layup that gave them a brief lead. The team won’t win many games with him performing like this.
Stepping up
With All-Star Tyrese Maxey not having the best night, some of his teammates helped pick him when he really needed it. In the first half, it was Tobias Harris who stepped up offensively to keep Philly in it and ended the night with 21 points.
In the second half, Kyle Lowry did everything he could to keep his team in it, turning back the clock to his days in Toronto. He scored a season-high 23 points to go along with 6 assists, but their effort wasn’t enough to get a win.
