CLEVELAND, Ohio -- About an hour before tipoff, a couple members of the Philadelphia 76ers asked a Cleveland arena worker to grab a ladder and level to check the rim, making sure it wasn’t crooked.
The rim was fine. Can’t say the same for Philadelphia.
Back home after another unsuccessful road trip, the Cavs destroyed the 76ers Wednesday night, 113-85. Cleveland is now 9-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse -- a building that has become a dungeon for opponents this season. And it has nothing to do with the rims.
The Cavs looked a bit lethargic early, going down 9-2 less than three minutes into the first quarter. But they found their footing with a 14-0 run in which the Sixers went about five and a half minutes without making a field goal. That wasn’t even Cleveland’s best surge of the night. From the end of the second quarter into the early portion of the third, the Cavs ripped off 18 straight points, pushing their lead to a game-high 32.
Game over.
“I thought we did a great job of executing a game plan,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said following the win. “Everything that we tried to get done I thought we really got it done. I thought we focused on it, tried to make it as difficult on them as we could and frustrated them with our effort.”
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Early Wednesday morning, reserve swingman Caris LeVert said the conversations leading into this matchup centered around 76ers MVP candidate Joel Embiid. Even without All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who continues to nurse a lower back contusion, the Cavs’ physicality, relentless swarming and non-stop activity seemed to bother the skilled 7-footer.
It’s part of why Bickerstaff put bouncy, defensive-minded forward Mamadi Diakite in Wednesday’s starting lineup with both Allen and Lamar Stevens (non-COVID illness) still sidelined. Bickerstaff wanted the defense to trap and rotate more, trying to make Embiid as uncomfortable as possible. Diakite’s size, length, quickness and fast hands helped with that. Evan Mobley’s typically stellar defense did as well.
“He’s a competitor,” Bickerstaff said. “I think sometimes his calm demeanor can fool us. But I don’t know anybody who has the fire that burns hotter than his when it comes to competition. He’s not afraid. He’s one to take any challenge we put in front of him. Embiid is MVP-caliber, one of the best centers in the game. Evan went out and accepted the challenge.”
Entering the game averaging 32.1 points and riding a string of five straight 30-point performances, Embiid scored just 19 points on 6 of 16 from the field in 29 minutes. With the game out of hand, Embiid didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter. It’s his second-lowest point total of the season, after being limited to just 15 points earlier this season in Milwaukee.
With Embiid neutralized -- and both Tyrese Maxey and James Harden unavailable -- Philadelphia couldn’t keep up with the scorching Cavs. It’s Philly’s lowest point total of the season.
LeVert scored a game-high 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting and 3 of 4 from 3-point range to go with six rebounds and four assists.
For LeVert, who has been battling an ankle injury and trying to find his rhythm in a new reserve role, it’s his best scoring night since a 41-point outburst on Oct. 28.
He was one of five players in double figures.
Point guard Darius Garland added 21 points and nine assists. Donovan Mitchell tallied 18 points and six helpers. Evan Mobley, who shifted from power forward to center for a second straight game, chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Isaac Okoro poured in 11 off the bench, hitting 5 of 7 from the field.
Diakite, the two-way player who has spent most of his time in the G League with the Charge, had six points in his fourth career start.
“I thought he was awesome, to be honest with you,” Bickerstaff said of Diakite’s performance. “He was a big part of what our game plan was defensively, and I think he went out there and he executed it to a T. He was a huge part of the reason why we were able to play the defense that we did tonight.”
“He’s been waiting for this opportunity for a while now and he came up and played really big for us tonight,” Garland added. “Had some really good minutes, played really hard. Helped us on the offensive and defensive end. Just happy he was out there competing.”
Two nights after an uncharacteristically chilly shooting night that doomed their chances in Toronto, the Cavs shot a blistering 60.8% from the field and 51.7% from beyond the arc.
Before walking off the floor to a hearty applause, Garland was asked what Wednesday shows about the team.
“We’re really good,” he said. “Immaculate vibes.”
Up next
The Cavs will continue their mini-homestand with a Friday matchup against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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