The Philadelphia 76ers opened their six-game homestand with a thud, absorbing a 133-107 beat-down from the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
At a Glance
- The Sixers fall to 22-17; Cavs improve to 23-19
- Donovan Mitchell torches Philly for 35 points, nine assists, seven rebounds
- Joel Embiid scores 20 to lead the Sixers; Paul George adds 17
- Why it matters: Philly’s hopes of climbing the East standings take an early hit in a winnable home series
Daniel J. Whitman reported that from the opening tip Cleveland dictated pace, physicality and outcome, leaving the Sixers searching for answers before a disapproving home crowd.
Early meltdown sets tone
Garland buried a wing three on the game’s first possession and the Cavs canned their first four shots. The Sixers briefly nudged ahead 10-9 on an Embiid triple, but a 10-0 Cleveland burst flipped the script.
Philadelphia’s problems piled up fast:
- Six turnovers in the first quarter; Embiid committed four alone
- 11 second-chance points surrendered in barely six minutes
- Zero answer for Cleveland’s second-shot opportunities
Embiid slammed the ball in frustration after a traveling call, symbolic of a team that looked a step slow and a thought late all half.
Bench shuffle fails to spark
Nick Nurse emptied his rotation looking for energy. Jared McCain became the 11th Sixer to check in midway through the second quarter, played three fruitless minutes, then sat until garbage time.
The second-year guard has now logged four straight games under 10 minutes, a tricky puzzle for a franchise that wants both development and wins.
Despite George knocking down two early second-quarter threes, Philadelphia still trailed by 14 when Embiid re-entered. The deficit never dropped below double digits again.
Injury cloud over third quarter
The night turned uglier when two-way forward Dominick Barlow crashed to the floor after a rejected layup. He lay motionless for several minutes before teammates helped him off, later diagnosed with a back contusion.
Play resumed with Cleveland on a run; Garland’s layup pushed the lead to 75-53 and drew boos from the Wells Fargo crowd.
A brief flurry-10-0 capped by a Maxey layup-trimmed the gap to 79-68. The burst featured Jabari Walker’s hustle plays and Embiid diving into the seats for a loose ball.
The comeback fizzled quickly. Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe finished a combined 8-for-26 from the field, dooming any realistic rally.
Key numbers
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavaliers | 30 | 29 | 30 | 44 | 133 |
| Sixers | 21 | 24 | 30 | 32 | 107 |
- Mitchell: 35 pts, 9 ast, 7 reb
- Garland: 20 pts, 7 ast
- Mobley: 17 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast, 4 blk
- Embiid: 20 pts (passes 13,000 career)
- George: 17 pts
- Maxey: 14 pts on 5-16 FG
The Cavs dominated points off turnovers (23-9), second-chance points (18-8) and fast-break points (17-9), statistical proof of their everywhere-all-at-once effort.
What’s next
The same teams meet again Friday night in South Philly for the back end of a mini-series. The Sixers remain at full strength; Cleveland will again be without Dean Wade (knee) and Max Strus (foot).
Philadelphia must solve its turnover woes and find reliable bench minutes if the homestand is to be salvaged. For now, the Cavs own the momentum-and the Sixers have three days to wrestle it back.
