Wrap-Up – Even though the Wine and Gold had dropped the Sixers in four of their last five and in seven of eight, Philly had played the Cavaliers tough, losing by an average of only six points per.
That was not the case on Sunday, as Cleveland gave Kyrie Irving a nice welcome back present – winning their fifth straight, thumping the woeful Sixers, 108-86, in an afternoon laugher at The Q.
After missing the first 24 games of the season while rehabbing from knee surgery, Cleveland’s All-Star guard got off to a slow start in his return – going 1-for-6 in the first half. But like the rest of the squad, Irving showed his true colors in the second stanza, going 4-of-6 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, to finish with 10 points and three assists in his season debut.
LeBron James notched 11 of his game-high 23 points in the second quarter, ratcheting up the intensity on both ends after the Cavs found themselves trailing after one period. On the afternoon, James went 10-for-17 from the floor, adding five boards, four assists and three of Cleveland’s 11 steals.
The man who’s been filling in (admirably) for Irving through much of the first part of the season – Matthew Dellavedova – continued his stellar play, following up his first double-double of the season on Thursday night with a season-high 20-point effort on Sunday afternoon – going 7-of-10 from the floor, 4-for-6 from long-distance. One of the major reasons the Sixers shot just 35 percent from the floor, Dellavedova added two steals and led the Wine and Gold with a pair of blocked shots.
Kevin Love rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures with 10 points and Timofey Mozgov pitched in with eight points and a team-high eight boards.
Impressive rookie, Jahlil Okafor, led the Sixers – who became the first team in NBA history to lose 28 or their first 29 games – with 15 points and 12 boards.
The Cavaliers, who held Philly to just 13 points in the second quarter on 4-for-21 shooting, have now held three of their last four opponents under 40 percent shooting. Cleveland outscored the Sixers in the paint, 46-38, and dominated them on the break, 31-13.
Turning Point – After one quarter, the Sixers led a semi-sluggish Cavaliers team, 25-21, and it looked like the Cavaliers might be in another unlikely dogfight with the league’s worst team. But Richard Jefferson’s trey early in the second quarter got Cleveland to within a deuce and J.R. Smith’s floater tied the affair at 26-apiece.
Philly’s Isaiah Canaan canned a three-pointer to get the Sixers to within five. But a Delly three-pointer opened the flood gates and minutes later, J.R. Smith’s no-look alley-oop to LeBron put the Cavaliers up two touchdowns – and they’d coast the rest of the way, eventually extending their lead to 35 in the third.
By the Numbers – .461 … Delly’s three-point percentage this season, moving him in 4th place in the NBA, percentage points over the reigning MVP – and someone he’ll get re-acquainted with on Christmas Day – Steph Curry. Over his last eight games, the Aussie import is shooting .581 (18-31) from beyond the arc.
Quotable – Kyrie Irving, on his season debut on Sunday afternoon at The Q …
“Obviously, the first game back we weren’t trying to push it too hard and I just wanted to go out there and see how it felt. Staying on the bike until my number was called and then just being ready to play. That is where I am right now and hopefully every game I continue to progress and feel better.”
Up Next – After coasting past the Sixers on Sunday, the Cavaliers wrap up their three-game homestand on Wednesday night, they hit the road for the biggest game of the regular season to date – a Christmas Day matchup with Steph Curry and the reigning NBA Champs in a Finals rematch in Oakland. They continue their four-games-in-five-nights trip the following evening in Portland with a rematch against the Blazers, who Cleveland dropped back on December 8 to snap a three-game skid. The roadie rolls on with another back-to-back, taking on the Suns next Monday night and the Nuggets in Denver the following night.
