Cavaliers end 76ers win streak blowing them out 119-95
BY TIM SHIRER
CAVS BEAT WRITER
(CLEVELAND, OH) - Entering Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-4, 4-1 home) were in the mist of a big week of playing four games and playing three good teams. They had already lost the first two playing a home and home with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers (8-2, 4-1 road) were at Rocket Arena. It was the first time former Cavs forward/center Dean Wade played in Cleveland since he took his talents to Philadelphia.
The game did not go the way most observers expected as the Cavaliers blew out the 76ers 119-95 in front of the 201st sellout crowd in a row for Cleveland.
Just :28 seconds into the game after Sam Merrill missed a three the Cavs were already trailing when VJ Edgecombe scored at the other end. But the Cavs scored the next six points to take a 6-2 lead with 10:40 left on the clock, then the lead was 8-2 when James Harden hit Evan Mobley with 10:09 left. The Cavs extended the lead to 12-2 after Harden was fouled by Jaylen Brown and hit both free throws with 7:55 left on the clock. With 5:43 left Mario Hezonja who just entered the game scored in the paint and the Cavs lead was 19-4. With the Cavs up 27-12 with 2:21 left in the opening quarter the officials had to get involved. Tyrese Proctor was called for a ticky tack foul and Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson challenged it after one of the shortest reviews in NBA history the call was upheld. The next time down the floor Proctor was called for his second foul and the Cavs lead was down to 27-18 with just 2:00 left on the clock, just like the NBA got the Sixers six quick points. When time ran out in the quarter the Cavs led 33-22. Donovan Mitchell had 10 first quarter points leading all scorers. Anfernee Simons and Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers with six points each. The Cavs shot 43% (13 of 30) from the field while the Sixers shot 30% (6 of 20). The Cavs also outrebounded the Sixers 20-9.
With 10:02 left in the second quarter Hezonja drained another three and the Cavs led 41-25. With 9:07 left Mitchell hit Mobley in the paint with a crazy pass and Mobley scored giving the Cavs 46-30 lead. With 7:03 left on the clock the Cavs lead shrunk to 48-39 when Edgecombe drained a three. Atkinson took an immediate timeout. Between the six-minute mark and the 5:17 mark the Sixers and Cavs played some of the worst basketball I have ever witnessed in a short span. It was so bad the scouts sitting in the media section broke out in laughter. In the end after several possessions for both clubs the Sixer finally scored when Edgecombe scored after a Sam Merrill turnover cutting the Cavs lead to 49-43. Harden was then fouled and it was ruled a reckless closeout by flagrant foul one on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Harden hit two of the three free throws, and the Cavs were unable to score on the possession. But did score after a Meleek Thomas steal and Peyton Watson scored in the paint at the other end after former Cav LeBron James was called for goaltending the Cavs lead was 53-43. The Sixers then scored the next six points cutting the Cavs lead 53-49 with 3:06 left in the quarter. With 2:34 left Joel Embid complained and it worked a foul was called well after the played had ended. Of course, he made both free throw and the Cavs lead was 54-51. With 1:05 left the Cavs extended their lead to 59-51 when Mitchell found Mobley who drained a three. With :07.0 remaining in the first half Harden drained a three from the corner of the arc giving the Cavs a 62-54 lead and that’s what the score was at halftime. Edgecombe led all scorers at the break with 17 points. Mobley was pacing the Cavs with 15. The Cavs shot 45% (23 of 51) in the opening half as did the Sixers (18 of 40). The Sixers shot 37% (7 of 19) from three-point range, while the Cavs shot 33% (7 of 21). The Cavs dominated the boards 29-18 even with Jarrett Allen (knee) who did not play.
With 9:19 left in the third quarter The Cavs lead was 66-61 after Mitchell was fouled by Joel Embiid, it was his second personal foul of the contest. With 8:45 on the clock on the quarter after Harden turned the ball over and Edgecombe scored in the paint and the Cavs lead was to three points. Atkinson did not like what was happening and called a timeout. Harden built the Cavs lead to 70-65 with a three pointer with 7:38 left in the quarter. With 7:09 left on the clock Watson gave the Cavs an eight point lead 73-65 when he drained a three. With 5:17 left the Cavs lead was 77-68 when Thomas scored after a Sixers turnover. With 4:30 left on the clock James turned the ball over for the fifth time in the contest while on scoring four points to that juncture of the game. With 2:43 left the Watson scored inside to give the Cavs an 83-72 lead. 76ers coach Nick Nurse called an immediate timeout. With 1:40 left in the third Mitchell was fouled by Jabari Walker, his first, Mitchell made both free throws and the Cavs led 85-73. Then with the Cavs up 11 and Walker fouled Hezonja, he hit one of two free throws, and the Cavs lead was 12. Finally, Watson got a call in the paint, he scored, missed the free throw got the rebound and Mitchell drained a three and the Cavs led 91-74 with :26.1 left in the third quarter. Atkinson got into a heated argument with JB Derosa as the quarter ended with the Cavs leading 91-74. Mitchell was leading all scorers with 20 points, Edgecombe paced the Sixers with 19. Former Cav James had just four points and five turnovers through three quarters.
The fourth quarter began with the Cavs looking aggressive Tritan Enaruna was fouled, he went to the line with 11:41 left he hit one of two and the Cavs lead was 18 points. With 10:33 left the Cavs led by 20 when Mitchell scored. With 9:43 remaining in regulation Mobley was fouled and hit both free throws, and the Cavs lead was 22. Brown cut the Cavs lead to 20 with 8:52 left and Atkinson took a timeout. With 7:28 left Mobley hit a three and the Cavs led 101-78 but after what happened on opening night the fat lady wasn’t singing yet. With 6:01 left James committed his sixth turnover of the game, and the Cavs took advantage at the other end when Dean Wade committed his fourth foul. Harden hit both free throws and the Cavs led 105-82. The Cavs were going to even the season series 1-1. As James left the floor the crowd acknowledge him with a round of applause. Even with a back-to-back tomorrow Atkinson left four of the Cavs starters in the game until the 3:21 mark. It seemed like he wanted to send a message. When time ran out the Cavs had dominated the 76ers most of the night and secured the blow out win 119-95.
The Cavs outshot the Sixers from the field 46% (40 of 88) to 37% (31 of 85). The Cavs also pummeled Philly from three points range 35% (13 of 37) to 25% (10 of 40). The boards were also dominated by Cleveland as they outrebounded the 76ers 56-42. Philly turned the ball over 16 times resulting in 24 Cavs points while the Cavs turned it over 15, but Philly was only able to turn those into 16 points.
Mitchell led everyone in scoring with 23 points, Mobley wasn’t far behind him with 22 on the night. Hezonja notched a double double scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Watson was just shy of a double as he scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Harden scored 17 and turned the ball over only three times. In the opener in Philly, he turned it over six times. Brown led the Sixers with 20 points in the loss. James had only eight points shooting 3 of 12 from the field and 0 of 4 from three-point range. It’s possible that father time is finally catching up to James.
The schedule maker did the Cavs no favors as Cleveland hosts the New York Knicks on Saturday at Rocket Arena at 8 pm. While it’s a back-to-back for the Cavs, the league office’s darling Knicks had Friday off and do not play again until Monday. The Knicks have only nine back to backs this season, the least by an NBA champion in at least ten years.
POSTED 11/06/2026 22:40
Lake County Sentinel
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Cleveland Cavaliers Evan Mobley shoots a three point basket during the Cavs 119-95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night at Rocket Arena. Photo by Tim Shirer
