Sixers coverage on FortyEightMinutes.com is exclusively sponsored by the Borderline Restaurant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Check them out on Facebook!
PHILADELPHIA – The Cavaliers extended their streak to three-straight wins over the Sixers, stemming back to last February. Philadelphia was out of rhythm early and out of gas in the 112-109 overtime loss. Doc Rivers credited Cleveland’s energy as a major reason why his team lost.
Cleveland shot worse from the field and got to the line less than Philadelphia but what made up the difference was rebounding. The Cavaliers outrebounded Philadelphia 53-46, including five more offensive rebounds than the Sixers.
“We definitely didn’t have energy, Ben Simmons told FortyEightMinutes and other media in Philadelphia. “We’re really looking forward to that break.”
The team might have lost but Joel Embiid, who missed a fader at the end of regulation that would have won the game, played like an MVP, scoring 42 points on 22 field goal attempts.
More From Philadelphia
- Collin Sexton (28 points) had a really nice game with Simmons on him for much of it but J.B. Bickerstaff deserves kudos for his strategy tonight. Bickerstaff had his team set screen after screen on Ben in order to get Sexton free looks and it worked.
- On offense, Simmons started out the game ultra-aggressive, seemingly the only player with intensity early. That tailed off, though he did outperform his over/under of 17.5 points by the middle of the third quarter.
- Damyean Dotson was impressive in 19 minutes off the bench, bringing physicality on defense and a couple of made threes on offense.
- Is Dylan Windler good? I spent much of the third quarter thinking about that question. The former first-rounder certainly looked like he’s going to be, at worst, a real rotation player in the league during his 26 minutes of action in Philadelphia.
- Cleveland did well protecting the three-point line for most of the night, though once Isaac Okoro fouled out, the Sixers had a litter more breathing room.
- It still feels like the Sixers need one more playmaker. They are rumored to be in the running for Kyle Lowry should Toronto move the veteran points guard. He’d help tremendously both as a clean fourth option behind the Embiid-Simmons-Harris trio but also as insurance of sorts in the event that one of the three misses significant time.
