Throw out the records as center Joel Embiid had already stated the Philadelphia 76ers were seeking revenge after getting beat badly by the Cleveland Cavaliers in their initial meeting.
This was the first game since the Cleveland Cavaliers basically blew out the Philadelphia 76ers for its first home loss and Embiid was looking forward to the rematch. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, after the Indiana game on Friday, Embiid said:
"“We’re going to go there with revenge. We’re going to want to punch them in the mouth because we lost against them, which shouldn’t have happened.”"
Revenge was sweet (at least as sweet as it can be against one of the worst teams in the NBA) as the Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a 128-105 victory over the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
More from Sixers News
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden
A major difference in the rematch was that the Cavs did not have center Tristan Thompson available due to injury. He did a good defensive job on Embiid and gobbled up eight offensive boards the first time.
The final score was a bit deceiving as the Sixers only held a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
The game marked the return of Jimmy Butler after a two-game absence and that helped settle a defense that was spotty (to be kind) at times.
Without Thompson, the Cavs were basically a donut team and Embiid and Simmons did basically whatever they wanted inside.
A major key was the Sixers cutting way down on their usually high number of turnovers. The one thing Cleveland is good at is taking care of the ball but the Sixers actually had less by a 12-10 margin and Simmons had none.
The Sixers led by as much as 16 points in the third period but Cleveland cut it to one point on a 12-0 run fueled by the usual Sixers toxic combination of atrocious defense, turnovers and Embiid not getting the ball inside. Wilson Chandler (remember him?) hit a three-pointer at the end to give Philly an 89-85 lead going into the final period
The Sixers were able to take a 65-58 lead at halftime after trailing by eight points at one point in the second, having gone for a spell into their ‘Defense, what’s that?‘ routine, as Cleveland’s array of jump shooters and slashers had their way for a time.
Ben Simmons had 15 points and nine assists at the half while Embiid chipped in with 16 points in 13 minutes (and they were ‘Bully Ball’ points, not much on the perimeter).
The Sixers are now 20-11 on the season, a half-game behind Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference standings. Cleveland is just 7-23 but they had been 2-2 in its previous four games.
Now comes one of those killer games the NBA schedule delivers. The Sixers fly tonight to San Antonio for the second game of a back-to-back against the Spurs, who have not played since Saturday.