Recap: Cavs 122, 76ers 105 (or, Winning Is Fun!)

The Cleveland Cavaliers came into last night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers losers of five of their last seven games, and with just a .500 record over their last 38. The defense has been abysmal, players have been in and out of the lineup with a multitude of injuries, the team has shown a visible lack of on-court chemistry, and, most importantly, the overall effort has left much to be desired. The Cavaliers had to be hoping that some home cooking, combined with a game against a 76ers team that routinely gives them trouble but always comes up short in the end, would help them get back on the winning side of things.

First Quarter

Besides Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Sixers had recently shut down Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington for the rest of the season, and were without Sergio Rodriguez as well. The Cavaliers were without Kyle Korver and Richard Jefferson due to injuries of their own. The Cavs came out aggressively on defense, perhaps too aggressively, as Irving was called for a flagrant foul after pushing Justin Anderson out of bounds. Replays later showed that Irving’s shove was in retaliation for Anderson’s earlier push of LeBron James. The Sixers did a great job of attacking the basket and either finishing at the rim or getting to the free throw line as they took an early lead. On the other end, the Cavaliers did a nice job of moving the ball early, and were hitting their jumpers while making a run of their own. While the Cavs were showing more energy on the defensive end, the Sixers still shot 54% for the first six minutes of the game, and we were tied at 17 when Tyronn Lue called the first time out of the game.

Lue stuck with his starters out of the time out and found Tristan Thompson on three straight dives to the rim to take the lead. In some ways, the two teams switched styles offensively, as the Cavs got to the rim and the line, while the 76ers began hitting jumpers. The Cavaliers took a five point lead and put themselves into the bonus before  LeBron James sat down for the last three minutes of the quarter. The lineup of Deron Williams, Iman Shumpert, Kevin Love, Irving, and Thompson were able to hold the lead, and the Cavaliers led 32-29 after one. The defense improve throughout the quarter, allowing the 76ers to shoot 46% from the field and just 25% from three, but the Wine & Gold shot just one-of-five from deep themselves.

Second Quarter

James picked up where he left off before leaving the game, finishing yet another and-one. DeAndre Liggins was inserted into the rotation tonight, and his defensive energy was noticeable. James went on a tear, scoring the Cavaliers’ first eight points of the quarter as they took a double-digit lead for the first time. World B. Free joined Fred McLeod and Austin Carr in the broadcast booth, and the Cavaliers, obviously inspired by his greatness, continued to push their lead behind a pair of threes by Deron Williams and Channing Frye. The Sixers continued to attack the basket, and were able to stay in contact with the Cavaliers by virture of getting to the line.

After starting the quarter with a lineup of Deron Williams, Shumpert, Liggins, James, and Frye, the Cavaliers nearly did a hockey-style line change, bringing back Irving, J.R. Smith, Love, and Thompson, to go along with Shumpert. This lineup did a nice job on both ends of the floor and pushed the Cavaliers’ lead to 17. James soon returned for Shumpert. The starters worked hard to push the pace at both ends, and a pair of steals by Irving lead to consecutive dunks by James that got the crowd roaring, and completed a 22-9 run with World B. Free on commentary. A pair of threes by Smith pushed the lead to 23, but some lapses on concentration led to a 5-0 run by the 76ers in the closing seconds of the quarter. Still, the Cavaliers led 70-52 at the half, and forced the Sixers into 10 turnovers in their best defensive performance in a while.

TT with @FSOAllieOop on what the @cavs emphasized in the first half (hint: Defense) as they take a 70-52 lead into halftime #CavsSixers pic.twitter.com/cVXwizzI6t

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 1, 2017

Third Quarter

The blowout continued in the third as the Cavaliers scored 25 points in the first seven minutes of the quarter. Among the more impressive plays of the quarter was a steal by Smith that he turned into a three in transition. Among the more confusing was 76ers rookie Shawn Long screaming in the face of LeBron James after a dunk with his team down 25. Of course, James immediately scored at the other end. The Cavaliers continued to keep up their defensive intensity, attacking passing lanes and forcing turnovers that lead to points in transition, and pushed their lead to 30. It seemed like each member of the Big Three as well as Smith had their moment in the sun this quarter. Even as the Sixers began to string some baskets together at the end of the quarter (a common issue for the Cavaliers), the Wine & Gold were still able to take a 27 point lead into the final frame as they led 104-77. The starters outside of James were done for the night as the Cavs shot 55% from the floor and 44% from three while holding the 76ers to 47% from the floor and 35% from three.

Bron: 32 pts | 6 ast | 8 reb
Ky: 24 pts | 9 ast
Kev: 18 pts | 10 reb
#CavsSixers: https://t.co/2H0RHzBZQW pic.twitter.com/RrgaG9bJyY

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 1, 2017

Fourth Quarter

It was definitely a bit of a surprise to see James come back out to start the fourth with the reserves, but considering their struggles lately, maybe the Cavaliers were simply enjoying the moment. James and Williams promptly hit a pair of layups to push the Cavaliers’ lead to 30 before Derrick Williams subbed in for James, and garbage time commenced. The Cavs went with a lineup of Deron Williams, Derrick Williams, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, and DeAndre Liggins. The Sixers were able to cut into the Cavaliers’ lead, as the Wine & Gold’s lack of scoring was obvious. Deron Williams focused on setting up Frye while Shumpert tried to create offense on his own, with predictable results. Philadelphia cut the lead to 16 with 3:30 remaining before a jumper by Frye gave the Cavaliers their first points in four minutes. Frye followed that up with a corner three to put to put the Cavaliers back up by 21, and Kay Felder and James Jones got their first bit of game action with less than three minutes left. With Deron Williams and Frye now done for the game, the Cavaliers struggled even more to score, but so did the 76ers, and the Cavs snapped their losing streak with a 122-105 victory.

Final: Cavs 122, 76ers 105. James 34p,9r,6a; Irving 24p,9a; Love 18p,10r; Smith 14p; Thompson 11r. PHI Holmes 19p. CLE 53%,9TO; PHI 49%,18TO

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) April 1, 2017

JR and the @cavs have to trust the process as they look to string together more wins after snapping a three-game losing streak pic.twitter.com/Dpr2B7jt7H

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 1, 2017

Things I Noticed

Great to see the Cavaliers honor World B. Free. He’s an important part of this team’s history.

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/847981955165638657

Kevin Love had his best game since returning from knee surgery, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while playing solid defense, particularly in the post. Love’s confidence is fickle at times, so a game like this is just what the doctor ordered.

It’s not a surprise that J.R. Smith has struggled since returning to action. He’s always been a slower starter at the beginning of the season, and he essentially missed the equivalent of another off-season with his broken thumb. He shot very well tonight and his defense looked solid, albeit against an injury-riddled Sixers squad. If the Cavaliers are going to do big things in the playoffs, they need the real J.R. Smith. He’s simply a better two-way player than Korver, Shumpert, or Liggins.

After doing a nice job in the first half of the season of playing within himself offensively and focusing on corner threes, Iman Shumpert has gone back to trying to create offensive off the dribble. It continues to not go well. There’s not much else to say about this.

Lue: "Liggins slowed their offense down. He was ready to play."

— Greg Swartz (@GregSwartzBR) April 1, 2017

With Kyle Korver and Richard Jefferson still out with injuries, DeAndre Liggins was reinserted into the rotation ahead of Derrick Williams. While Williams has played well with the Cavaliers, he isn’t the defender Liggins is, and a strong perimeter defender is what the Cavs need right now. Liggins will likely be right back out of the rotation when Korver and Jefferson return, but maybe he shouldn’t be. He’s a terrible offensive player, and teams simply won’t guard him in the playoffs, but he’s also the best wing defender on the team not named playoff LeBron James.

The Cavaliers are 5-1 in their orange uniforms. They should probably just wear them until their season ends.

Teams certainly aren’t intimidated by the Cavs right now, but that’s okay. It seemed like the biggest thing this team needed was a win to help them get out of their own heads. The fact that it was a convincing blowout was all the better. It’s way to early to say that the Cavaliers have turned the corner, but they’ve taken a step forward. Any turnaround has to start with that.