Shorthanded 76ers Overcomes Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers

A shorthanded Philadelphia overcame a late comeback bid by Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, holding on for a 123-121 victory.

Tobias Harris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid, and De’Anthony Melton were all unavailable for this game against the hottest team in basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers, but yet Buddy Hield, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Tyrese Maxey carried the team into one of the most electrifying wins of the season.

The Sixers had a somewhat comfortable lead for most of the 4th quarter, but a late triple by Mitchell and incredible offensive rebounding by the Cleveland frontcourt kept them in the game with only seconds remaining.

Unfortunately for them, 3 crucial free throws by Ricky Council IV and Maxey as well as a beautiful coaching decision by Nick Nurse to foul while in the bonus prevented the Cavs from completing the comeback.

Donovan Mitchell was blocked by Paul Reed with about 3 seconds remaining, but Mitchell was able to kick it to the corner to Darius Garland who got a possible game-winning 3-pointer off in time but it went off the side rim and missed.

Cleveland had won 17 of their past 18 games, winning 9 straight going into this one. Philadelphia advanced to 32-21 with this victory and currently holds the 5 seed in the East. The Cavs are sitting at the 2 seed and this loss drives them further away from Boston and the 1 seed.

Hield’s third game in a Sixers uniform was all you could ask for. Hield put up 24 points with 8 assists, hitting 5 of his 8 3-point attempts. He played his role perfectly and did exactly what Daryl Morey brought him into Philly for.

The Sixers come back home on Valentine’s Day to take on the Miami Heat in their final game until the All-Star Break. It would be perfect for Philadelphia’s confidence to take back-to-back-to-back games heading into the Break, as the media has seemingly counted out the 76ers.