The Sixer Sense
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RECAP: Cleveland Cavaliers 105, Philadelphia 76ers 98

By Christopher Kline

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 9: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers are seen on the court during the game on December 9, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 9: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers are seen on the court during the game on December 9, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Despite a strong fight from the Philadelphia 76ers, late-game heroics from LeBron James and Kyle Korver inevitably led to a Cleveland Cavaliers win.

This was another loss for the Philadelphia 76ers, continuing a rough couple of weeks for a team that got off to a promising start. Their 13-12 record is understandable given the difficulty of their schedule, but some of these losses (namely Phoenix and Los Angeles) came in games the Sixers were supposed to win.

Tonight’s game featured two short-handed teams, with Philly missing Joel Embiid and the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting Kevin Love. The Cavs were also on the second night of a back-to-back following a tough loss in Indiana on Friday night.

Those factors all contributed to an ugly game, with both teams having stretches where turnovers seemed to dominate their offense. LeBron still put together 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists though, so not all was lost on their side of things.

BEN SIMMONS. C+. 36 mins | 14 pts | 6 reb | 10 ast | 1 stl | 1 blk | 7 TO | 7-13 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 3 PF | -6 +/-| <strong>Summary</strong>: This wasn’t Simmons’ best outing. He had some impressive dunks and got into the teeth of the defense with regularity, but turnovers continue to be an issue for him. He had seven tonight, and ended up having the second-lowest plus-minus of the starting group. That can be a flawed stat, but he was a major contributor to the Sixers’ overall sloppiness during some stretches.. PG. Philadelphia 76ers

A. 36 mins | 19 pts | 6 reb | 2 ast | 4 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 7-10 FG | 5-7 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | +10 +/-| <strong>Summary</strong>: The thing that will stick in a lot of people’s heads tonight was that Covington injury. There’s no reason to think it’s serious, but he was on the ground for a while. That’s never fun to see. What Covington actually did on the court, though, was huge. He shot the ball well for what seemed like the first time in a long time, while his defensive effort impressed as well. He grabbed four steals on the evening, and disrupted several more plays. This was the version of Covington the Sixers need more often.. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. ROBERT COVINGTON

Philadelphia 76ers. J.J. REDICK. B. 36 mins | 19 pts | 1 reb | 2 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 6-13 FG | 4-9 3PT| 3-3 FT | 2 PF | -11 +/-| <strong>Summary</strong>: Redick was awful in the first half, but turned things around with a red-hot third quarter run in which he nailed a few big threes. Him finding his rhythym, even if it was just for one quarter, was significant considering how much he has struggled in recent games. That alone bumps his grade up a bit.. SG

20 mins | 12 pts | 8 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 2 TO | 4-6 FG | 0-0 3PT| 4-4 FT | 1 PF | -5 +/-| <strong>Summary</strong>: <a rel=. PF/C. Philadelphia 76ers. TREVOR BOOKER. A

JERRYD BAYLESS. F. 19 mins | 2 pts | 3 reb | 3 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 0-6 FG | 0-5 3PT| 2-2 FT | 1 PF | -5 +/-| <strong>Summary</strong>: Bayless is the first <strong>F</strong> I’ve given out in my handful of recaps this year. It’s always tough to hand out a grade that low, but Bayless did very little on the good side of things tonight. He missed every shot he took and continues to be one of the Sixers’ least productive players on both sides of the ball. As somebody who’s supposed to be the steadfast veteran, Bayless simply isn’t filling his role right now.. PG. Philadelphia 76ers

Philly got off to a hot start, taking a 13-3 lead before falling behind by a point at the end of the first quarter. Cleveland pulled away a bit in the second quarter, but a third quarter firestorm from J.J. Redick and Robert Covington (finally!) helped spark a Philly comeback.

Trevor Booker was also awesome tonight, taking his T.J. McConnell comparison to heart and showing all kinds of hustle that we never saw from, say, Jahlil Okafor. That led to 12 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

Philly had the lead for a decent chunk of the fourth quarter, but fell apart late. They didn’t make a single field goal for essentially the last five minutes of the game, while Kyle Korver and Jae Crowder managed to drill some important threes on Cleveland’s end. You can’t fall off a cliff late against Cleveland and expect to pull out a victory.

Perhaps most notable occurence tonight, however, was something that didn’t directly impact the outcome of the game. Robert Covington took a hard fall into the first row late in the fourth after diving for a loose ball. He was on the ground (on his stomach, according to the broadcast) for an extended period of time, and eventually got helped off the floor by Trevor Booker and Jacob Pullen before heading to the locker room.

He was apparently rubbing his lower back while on the ground, so that would seem to rule out any significant knee or leg injury. Still, it’s scary to see anybody take that kind of fall and stay on the ground for that long. Prayers are up for Covington, and hopefully he’s good moving forward.

Next: Sixers are slowly depleting their assets

All in all, the Sixers are a young team who have hit some road bumps lately, largely due to both injuries and inconsistency. Redick and Covington found their shots in the second half, though, so hopefully that trend continues over the next few games.