The Philadelphia 76ers were
aiming to “bounce back,” according to coach Nick Nurse, from
Thursday’s disappointing loss to the New York Knicks, and they did
just that against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
“A lot of length, a lot of size,
they got really good defense to protect the rim. I think both
guards can hurt you in a lot of ways,” Nurse said of the Cavaliers’
roster prior to the matchup.
There were an abundance of
Knicks fans in Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, but the arena was
packed full of Philadelphia supporters on Friday evening. The
Sixers won the tip-off, wasting no time to get the crowd on their
feet. Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. delivered a monster slam dunk on the
opening possession over Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. The star of
the show for Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey, kicked off his night with
a stepback three-pointer. The opening quarter was highlighted by
the late efforts of guard Cameron Payne, who grabbed an offensive
rebound for a layup and drained a corner shot from the arc to level
the score at 25 after one.
The second quarter began with
Tobias Harris struggling, with multiple missed shots inside the
paint within the first three minutes. However, Payne picked up for
the slack on offense, with points from all three levels. Maxey
operated the pick-and-roll game with forward K.J. Martin
masterfully, which led to a clear lane for Martin to score. The
efforts of Allen and guard Isaac Okoro kept Cleveland within reach
until halftime, when the Sixers led by three points.
Payne led the 76ers in scoring
at the half with 13 points, while star guard Darius Garland led the
Cavs with 12 points.
The Cavaliers were refreshed
coming out of the break as Okoro found the basket for two, followed
by a drive-and-score from forward Max Strus. Maxey refused to let
the Cavs take over, responding with multiple contested shots of his
own. Harris was able to find a rhythm at the midway point of the
quarter, draining a three-pointer and a set of free throws. Triples
from sharpshooter Buddy Hield and Oubre increased their lead to 11
points. Late energy from big man Evan Mobley and Strus kept the
Cavaliers competitive, with a score of 74-70 entering the final 12
minutes.
The final quarter began with an
electric acrobatic finish from guard De’Anthony Melton, followed by
a fluent mid-range shot from center Paul Reed. Interior defense was
a glaring issue for the Sixers throughout the night, with Allen
taking full advantage. The night couldn’t end before Maxey created
a multitude of looks for himself down the stretch, which resulted
in a 24-point outing. It was a back-and-forth battle until the
final buzzer, but ultimately the 76ers prevailed. Despite the
comeback attempt from Cleveland, a deep-range three-pointer from
Hield was the dagger, resulting in the 104-97 victory.
The Sixers are facing off
against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening, where Patrick
Beverley makes his return and Payne takes on his former
team.
“It’s turnt. It’s turnt. Let’s
get it,” Payne told Basketball News postgame when asked about
playing against the Bucks.
