The Cleveland Cavaliers secured a narrow win over the Philadelphia 76ers, 114-106.
The Cavs become the sixth team in NBA history to start a season 13-0 as they picked up a slim victory over the 76ers on Wednesday.
They moved up to 10-0 after squashing the Golden State Warriors in a showdown on Friday. Cleveland, now looking like title contenders nicked a victory in what seemed to be a tough game against the 76ers.
Thanks to a superb performance once again from Donovan Mitchell, scoring 13 out of his 23 points in the fourth-quarter, Cavs claimed a victory over the 76ers who were without their stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Cavs went on a 14-6 run to close out the first-quarter, turning a 4-point deficit into a 4-point lead over the 76ers who came back hard to start the second-quarter.
The 76ers went on a 9-0 run, ignited by Reggie Jackson’s five points and Caleb Martin’s four, taking a 36-31 point lead over the Cavaliers. They lead the Cavs at halftime, Philadelphia’s 3-point shooting being significant, fueling 55.6% of their second-quarter points. Jared McCain led them in points with 16, while also grabbing 5 assists. Cleveland struggled hard with their ball movement, resulting in turnovers.
The Cavs soon found their rhythm as they went on an 8-0 run in the third-quarter, turning a 7-point deficit into a 60-59 lead. Evan Mobley put in 4 points, Isaac Okoro’s steal fueling the moment in the game. Donovan set a new career-high in rebounds, grabbing 9 defensive rebounds through the end of the third-quarter for the Cavaliers.
At the End of the third-quarter, Cleveland led Philadelphia 82-78 at the Wells Fargo Center. Donovan Mitchell was key for them with a double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Both teams got string performances, Cleveland with Jarrett Allen securing 9 defensive rebounds, and Isaac Okoro making 2 steals, while Philadelphia was shooting 88.9% from the free-throw line in spite of the 10 fouls being committed.
Cavaliers closed out the game, securing a narrow 114-106 victory over 76ers. Cleveland had pivotal moments, shooting 49.4% of field goals, which accounted for 56.3% of their fourth-quarter points.
“We’re just sticking together, just taking it game by game”, said Darius Garland who led Cleveland with 25 points. “We know we’ve got a target on our back, so we’ve got to come in with that aggressiveness and that confidence that we’re going to win every game, and that’s what we’ve been doing. Even though like I said, long nights, not a lot of sleep, but we’ve got to stay together and just continue to be great. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Of the previous five teams to start a season 13-0, four of them have made it to the NBA Finals, but only the Houston Rockets went on to win the title in the 1993-94 NBA Season.
Cleveland have struggled with shooting across the past two seasons, but they are finding their rhythm and this series of wins doesn’t seem to be a fluke.
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