Cleveland Cavaliers game blog: Cavs have win streak snapped at 9 with a wild finish
The NBA's hottest team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, had their winning streak snapped by the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. It was a matchup featuring two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, although they've been headed in opposite directions.
Led by All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs were on a season-best nine-game winning streak and had won 22 of their last 26 games. At 35-17 overall, the Cavs are still second in the East, five games behind the Boston Celtics. The Sixers are 32-21 and fifth in the East, having gone 2-8 over their last 10 games entering Monday. Their slide has coincided with the loss of Joel Embiid to an injury in a loss Jan. 30 at Golden State. He recently had knee surgery and will miss significant time.
Follow along Monday night for live updates on the Cavs-Sixers. Here's some more info on the matchup, ahead of tipoff:
Cavaliers surge back, but 76ers win it 123-121
Donovan Mitchell made it interesting in the final minute, but it wasn't enough.
Mitchell drew a foul on Hield that was his sixth, and a made free throw cut the 76ers lead to 120-116 with 50 seconds left.
The Cavs then forced a shot-clock violation at the other end, giving them the ball with 28 seconds left and a four-point deficit.
What followed was a bit of chaos. The Cavs missed two back-to-back 3-pointers but grabbed an offensive rebound both times. Donovan Mitchell took the third 3-pointer of the possession and drilled it to make it 120-119.
Ricky Council was then fouled with 10.1 seconds left and hit both free throws, extending the Philly lead to 122-119.
Mitchell was fouled with 9.0 seconds left and hit both, again cutting it to one point.
Maxey hit one of two free throws with 6.9 seconds to go, opening the door.
In the game's final seconds, Mitchel drove the hoop but had his shot blocked. Mitchell got the ball back and found Darius Garland for a 3-point attempt to win it, but Garland couldn't get it to fall, and the Cavs' nine-game winning streak is over.
76ers have hit seven consecutive shots and are cruising to a win to end Cavaliers win streak
The 76ers simply can't miss right now. Philly hit seven consecutive attempts, and then shortly afterward, Kelly Oubre drilled another 3 to extend their lead to 120-110 with just over a minute left.
Oubre and Hield have just crushed the Cavs tonight with 24 points apiece.
Max Strus gets called for delay of game and draws a technical
Some of the delay and technical calls around the league this season have been pretty ridiculous.
Evan Mobley and Max Strus miscommunicated on a pass, and the ball rolled into the backcourt. Strus grabbed it and flung it back, knowing it'd be a backcourt violation either way, but everyone was behind him. He was called for a delay of game, and then waived off the ref, which then drew a technical foul. It was a very light infraction, at best.
And with that, the 76ers now lead 113-104 with 4:12 left.
Cavaliers trailing 76ers deep into fourth quarter
The Cavs' nine-game win streak is officially in danger.
I'm not sure how he got it to fall, but a Buddy Hield bucket in traffic just extended Philly's lead to 106-102 with 5:40 left. Donovan Mitchell has 26 points, but he's cooled from the floor and is now 7-of-15.
Cavaliers on top of 76ers 96-95 early in fourth quarter
Darius Garland's "lob" rating has be 99/100, right?
Cavaliers go on 12-2 run, re-take lead against 76ers 77-76 in third quarter
The Cavs finally went on a run, and it was all powered by Darius Garland. It's a reminder of what they missed while he was eating through a straw after jaw surgery.
Garland scored or assisted on all 12 of the Cavs' points during their 12-2 run, which included five points to his own and back-to-back assists to Max Strus.
76ers Cavaliers score: Philly taking 66-62 lead into halftime in Cleveland
This is one of those nights where the hottest team in the NBA plays arguably the coldest team in the league, and the former will have to grind the entire second half.
The Cavs are shooting 54 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range. Donovan Mitchell has an efficient 16 points and four assists. Jarrett Allen is on his way to a double-double with 12 points and six rebounds.
But defensively, the 76ers have been more aggressive and brought too much movement for the Cavs to handle. Maxey has given the Cavs problems en route to 12 points and eight assists in the first half. And in a scene somewhat similar to Cleveland's rough playoff series against the Knicks, offensive rebounds are keeping them at bay.
76ers dominating Cavs with offensive rebounds, lead 57-48
This is the first ugly night for the Cavs in quite some time. The 76ers are being the aggressors tonight and have nine second-chance points to the Cavs' two.
Cavs 76ers first quarter score: Philadelphia leads Cleveland 34-33
The 76ers went on an 11-2 run in which they're simply out-maneuvering the Cavs both in transition and on the offensive end. The Cavs rebounded a bit thanks to a Darius Garland layup in transition at the end of the quarter.
Buddy Hield has a game-high 10 points. Mitchell leads the Cavs with nine points, two rebounds and two assists.
76ers on 9-0 run, lead Cavs 44-33
The Cavs almost look like their feet are stuck in sand. It's an odd look for a team that has prided itself on its high level of movement.
Georges Niang is also having a brutal night. He's 0-for-3 from the floor with a turnover and has been caught on defense a few times.
Donovan Mitchell has nine points in the first quarter, Cavs lead 76ers 26-22
Donovan Mitchell is on pace for yet another 30-plus-point night — go figure. Mitchell has been hovering around the top-5 scorers in the league, and he's already got nine points with a few minutes left to go in the first quarter.
The Cavs are also doing a nice job of setting up their bigs right at the rim. Darius Garland and Caris LeVert have both pulled off some nice entry passes into the paint to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Cavaliers 76ers score: Cavs lead Philadelphia 22-18 midway through first quarter
The Cavs were off to just a so-so start on the offensive end, but they've also forced four 76ers turnovers thus far.
Donovan Mitchell, just named the Eastern Conference player of the year, has seven points, two rebounds and two assists.
How to watch the Cavaliers vs. 76ers on TV
The game will be shown in Northeast Ohio on Bally Sports Ohio, starting shortly after 7 p.m.
More on Donovan Mitchell's MVP case: Does Donovan Mitchell of the Cavs deserve to be NBA MVP talks?
Cavs-Sixers season series in 2023-24
This is the second of four games between the two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first one. The Cavs were 122-119 winners in overtime in Philadelphia on Nov. 21 in an NBA In-Season Tournament game. Darius Garland scored 32 for the Cavs, and Embiid scored 32 for the Sixers. The Cavs play at Philadelphia again later this month on Feb. 23 and the Sixers return to Cleveland on March 29.
76ers at Cavaliers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:14 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): 76ers +375 (bet $100 to win $375) | Cavaliers -500 (bet $500 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): 76ers +9.5 (-105) | Cavaliers -9.5 (-115)
Over/Under (O/U): 230.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
76ers at Cavaliers key injuries
76ers
C Joel Embiid (knee) out
F Nicolas Batum (hamstring) out
F Robert Covington (knee) out
G De’Anthony Melton (back) out
C Mo Bamba (knee) questionable
Cavaliers
G Ty Jerome (ankle) out
C Tristan Thompson (suspension) out
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cavaliers vs. 76ers: Game score, recap as Cavs' win streak snapped
