The 76ers arrived in Cleveland Tuesday hoping to bounce back after losing against the Timberwolves only the night before. The Sixers and Cavs split their 2 games earlier in the season, each winning at home. Philly would fall behind early as the Cavaliers were on fire from the field. The 76ers struggled on both sides of the ball and were outplayed the entire game. The Cavaliers (12-23) would win it , in a game the Sixers (12-23) wish they could forget.
The Sixers fell behind after the Cavs strung together 9 unanswered points midway through the opening quarter. Cleveland shot an impressive 60% for the quarter while the Sixers shot only 40%. For a second straight game, Philly's opponent successfully took advantage of them from beyond the arc. The Cavs, led by CJ Miles, knocked down 6 of 9 from three and led Philadelphia 36-20 at the end of the 1st quarter. James Anderson tried to single-handedly get the Sixers back in it, by scoring 6 straight and playing tight defense early in the 2nd, but the Cavs always had an answer. Philadelphia sank deeper into a 23 point deficit at halftime, 64-41. Thad Young was scoreless in the half and Evan Turner struggled with his touch as he hit only 2 of his 10 shots for 4 points. CJ Miles hit 8 of 10 from three to lead Cleveland with 24. The Sixers only committed 3 turnovers in the first half but allowed 64 points and could not find their shot.
Philadelphia's struggles shooting and defensive struggles continued in the 3rd quarter. The Cavs increased their lead to 29 in the 3rd and Coach Brown decided to play mostly reserves for the remainder of the contest as he conceded the loss. The Sixers trailed 91-66 after 3 quarters of play. Brett Brown let Carter-Williams play in the 4th alongside the reserves in the final quarter. The rookie performed well but the Sixers couldn't get anything going until it was too late. Cleveland maintained at least a 18 point grip on the game until the buzzer.
Philadelphia's two highest scoring players put up duds in Cleveland. Turner finished with a measly 4 points (2-13 FG) while Young went scoreless (0-7) with 4 rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams put up the only respectable stat-line for Philly with a career high 33 points while grabbing 6 boards and dishing out 5 assists. James Anderson ended with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 15 points off the bench. Hawes contributed 9 points and only secured 3 rebounds. The Sixers got beat up by Cleveland's big men and were out-rebounded 58-38. Philadelphia only turned the ball over 10 times and scored 17 fast break points but shot a terrible 39%.
The Cavaliers got a huge unexpected performance out of CJ Miles. Miles led his team with a game-high 34 points off of 10 three-pointers. Both of Cleveland's big men had their way and recorded double-doubles. Anderson Varejao ended with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Tristan Thompson scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards. Kyrie Irving handed out 8 assists and 3 blocks on his way to 16 points. The Cavs were hot, shooting 49.4% from the floor and hitting 13 of 28 from long range.
The Sixers have dropped 2 in a row, but have three days off before playing the Pistons (14-20) at home on Friday.
By: Matt Ryan
Philadelphia's struggles shooting and defensive struggles continued in the 3rd quarter. The Cavs increased their lead to 29 in the 3rd and Coach Brown decided to play mostly reserves for the remainder of the contest as he conceded the loss. The Sixers trailed 91-66 after 3 quarters of play. Brett Brown let Carter-Williams play in the 4th alongside the reserves in the final quarter. The rookie performed well but the Sixers couldn't get anything going until it was too late. Cleveland maintained at least a 18 point grip on the game until the buzzer.
Philadelphia's two highest scoring players put up duds in Cleveland. Turner finished with a measly 4 points (2-13 FG) while Young went scoreless (0-7) with 4 rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams put up the only respectable stat-line for Philly with a career high 33 points while grabbing 6 boards and dishing out 5 assists. James Anderson ended with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 15 points off the bench. Hawes contributed 9 points and only secured 3 rebounds. The Sixers got beat up by Cleveland's big men and were out-rebounded 58-38. Philadelphia only turned the ball over 10 times and scored 17 fast break points but shot a terrible 39%.
The Cavaliers got a huge unexpected performance out of CJ Miles. Miles led his team with a game-high 34 points off of 10 three-pointers. Both of Cleveland's big men had their way and recorded double-doubles. Anderson Varejao ended with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Tristan Thompson scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards. Kyrie Irving handed out 8 assists and 3 blocks on his way to 16 points. The Cavs were hot, shooting 49.4% from the floor and hitting 13 of 28 from long range.
The Sixers have dropped 2 in a row, but have three days off before playing the Pistons (14-20) at home on Friday.
By: Matt Ryan