Game Recap: Sixers Come Up Short Again vs. Champs

Snapshot:PHILADELPHIA, PA – The 76ers playing the Cavaliers close? That's nothing new. Since LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving formed a new 'Big 3' in Cleveland in 2014, six of the first eight meetings between the Sixers and Cavs were decided by 10 points or less.Sunday's matinee at The Center further extended this trend. Despite a slow start, Cleveland rode its All-Star trio to a narrow 112-108 victory. The win was the Cavs' fourth in a row, and Eastern Conference-leading 13th overall. “Think of the talent that just rolled through the door,” said Brett Brown, referring to the roster the Sixers faced Sunday, after hosting the experienced Chicago Bulls Friday. “We were competitive almost the whole game.”James racked up 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists for his third triple-double of the season, and the 45th of his 13-year career. Love finished with 25 points and 11 boards for his ninth double-double in 10 games.But it was Irving, such a dangerous one-on-one threat, who gave the defending champions the boost they needed to break through. “Individual brilliance” was how Brown summed up Irving's game-changing fourth-quarter performance.The 24-year old point guard went off for 19 of his season-high 39 points in the frame.”When players of that caliber choose to, they can rise up to a different level,” Brown said. Brown coached Irving's father, Drederick, in Australia, and marveled at the younger Irving's ability to “create his own shots.””His dad was a playground star, and could just score at will with a live dribble,” recalled Brown. “You see hints of his dad. He can just do things with a ball that create separation, and then he can just has that shot at the end that allows him to be Kyrie Irving.” The Cavaliers entered Sunday afternoon on the heels of overpowering showings in consecutive games. On Wednesday, they hung 137 points on Portland, then on Friday, erupted for 128 against Dallas. Cleveland buried 41 total 3-pointers between the two tilts.At the outset of Sunday's contest, the Cavaliers quickly found that offense wouldn't be as easy to come by, misfiring on each of their first 14 field goal attempts.Rebounding well during the Cavs' drought, the Sixers managed to build up a 10-4 advantage. Cleveland's first bucket wouldn't come until six minutes had expired, when James scored on a determined lay-up. Even as the Cavs' shots began to fall, their output was limited to James, Love, and Irving, who accounted for the entirety of the points Cleveland generated in the opening quarter.”Can't let offense dictate the defense,” said James. “We just had to weather the storm. It's a pretty good up-and-coming team.”The Sixers, meanwhile, were receiving contributions from across the board.Proving to be a consistent, effective presence on both ends of the court, Jahlil Okafor notched six points and three rebounds in the first quarter, helping the Sixers to a 30-24 lead. Their margin increased to 14 points midway through the second frame, then settled back to six, 58-52, at the half. The Cavaliers started to make substantial inroads late in the third. Love and James Jones connected on back-to-back triples to bring the visitors within two, but Okafor stepped up again, sparking a quick spurt that re-established a 10-point cushion. James supplied an And-1 that brought the Cavs' within four points, 81-77, heading into the fourth quarter. Irving took over from there.”He made shots all over the place,” Joel Embiid said. “That's why he's a superstar.”Back in action after being assigned mandatory rest Friday, Embiid was steady. Although he went 8 for 18 from the field, he stuck 3 of 4 3-point attempts, and tallied 22 points, his sixth 20-point effort in 12 appearances. With members of his family sitting courtside, the rookie collected nine rebounds, a personal-high four assists, and three blocks as well.”We played hard,” said Embid. “We had a good defensive game. They just played better.”Okafor was impactful when summoned to relieve Embiid. The second-year Duke product was efficient in recording his 14 points, sinking 7 of 11 shots. He yanked down nine rebounds, a season-high, and displayed an engaged and committed defensive approach throughout the game.”He wants to do well for the city of Philadelphia,” Brown said of Okafor. “I thought kind of all over the place, he was good. You leave the gym thinking that's a heck of a contribution for our back-up right now.”The Sixers were without Jerryd Bayless for the 14th time in 17 outings this season. Two days after his first start, the veteran point guard was sidelined due to a recurrence of pain in his left wrist. Sergio Rodriguez subsequently rejoined the Sixers' first group, and turned in 12 points and seven assists.  Brown said Bayless' availability for Monday's game in Toronto is questionable. Up Next:What type of challenge awaits the Sixers immediately after having to face the defending NBA champions? How about a match-up against the Eastern Conference's second-best club the very next day. The Sixers' first Atlantic Division match-up of the season comes Monday at 7:30 PM EST, when they visit the Toronto Raptors (10-6) at Air Canada Centre.