The Philadelphia 76ers got a scare from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night but were able to escape with a one-point victory.
Despite struggles shooting the ball, the Sixers managed to build a six-point halftime lead. The Cavs were able to chip two points off the margin during the third quarter and then started the fourth with a 9-0 run to take a five-point lead and prompt some boos from the home crowd.
The teams traded blows through the middle part of the quarter after the Sixers halted the run. A Collin Sexton basket with 3:34 left in the game pushed the Cavs’ lead back to five and there was uneasy energy flowing from the Wells Fargo Center crowd.
However, that would be the last points of the night for Cleveland, as the Sixers ended the game on a 6-0 run that was capped by a Joel Embiid dunk with 13 seconds left that put the Sixers in front. Philadelphia was able to dodge a bullet on an open look from Kevin Love and the clock ran out as the teams battled for the ensuing loose ball. You could almost hear the exhale coming out of Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid led the way and was the only really bright spot for the Sixers. He finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Josh Richardson struggled mightily from deep, as did most of the Sixers, but he chipped in 17 points and five assists and did a good job knocking loose the rebound of Love’s final shot.
Ben Simmons returned from his shoulder injury to contribute 15 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Furkan Korkmaz slotted into the starting lineup in place of the resting Al Horford and had 10 points and four rebounds.
Tobias Harris shot a ghastly 0-11 from beyond the arc and was limited to just eight points. However, he added five rebounds and four assists and was involved in each of the three baskets on the Sixers’ 6-0 game-closing run. It was good to see him stay involved mentally despite the shooting struggles. Head coach Brett Brown mentioned after the game that Harris has been under the weather, so credit to him for toughing it out and making plays down the stretch.
Mike Scott provided nine points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Matisse Thybulle returned to the rotation and added three points on 1-1 shooting, three blocks, two steals, two rebounds, and an assist.
It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. It was good to see the Sixers put the clamps on defensively down the stretch when they really needed to and to watch them battle through a rough offensive night and gut out a win. In addition, the design and execution of the play that got the go-ahead bucket was excellent.
The team is now 7-3 on the season and a perfect 4-0 at Wells Fargo Center. It’s a quick turnaround for the Sixers, who get their first back-to-back of the season when they take on the Magic tomorrow in Orlando.