76ers Dominated By Cavaliers Behind Dominant Performance From Donovan Mitchell
Nov 5, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) looks to pass beside Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball (2) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Back-to-backs have never been the 76ers’ friend, and the past two nights have only elevated that claim. Without Joel Embiid in the second game, the 76ers struggled to create enough offense to pick up a win.
After blowing a 24-point lead the prior night to the Bulls and suffering their first road loss of the year, the Philadelphia 76ers followed that up with another disappointing performance, this one coming in the form of a beatdown from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the Cavs as a whole dominated, the true star of the team, Donovan Mitchell, proved once again that he is one of the best players in the league, dropping his first 40-point performance of the season. Mitchell finished with 48 points, on six threes, and also grabbed eight boards. He also missed just six shots all night.
Along with Mitchell, the Cavs also had 20-point performances from Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, while the 76ers got 27 points from Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes, in the 132-121 loss.
Right away, the Cavaliers came out hot, similarly to the 76ers the night before in Chicago, opening the game on a 17-4 run thanks to eight points from Mitchell and a long three from Darius Garland, who was making his season debut. The points kept coming for Cleveland as another eight straight points came from Mobley, and the 76ers could only muster up a few points of their own from threes from Justin Edwards and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Down 17 with under three minutes left in the quarter, any time the 76ers got a scoring run going, Cleveland answered back. Grimes and Andre Drummond scored six in, and then Mitchell fired back with seven of his own. A layup from Oubre just before the final seconds of the quarter wound down, cutting the deficit to 14 as the 76ers trailed 41-27 after the first 12 minutes.
While the first quarter didn’t go the 76ers’ way, the second quarter was the exact opposite, and it propelled Philadelphia back into the game. The big star of the quarter was forward Trendon Watford, who came off the bench. Watford, who dropped 13 points in the quarter, all of them coming in the first seven minutes of the quarter, was a huge part in chipping back at the Cavs’ lead.
The 76ers’ bench was really the only reason the deficit didn’t get out of hand, as Drummond, Grimes, Watford, and Edwards combined for 35 bench points in the first half. While the bench kept them in, the 76ers’ star cut the deficit to one possession as Tyrese Maxey went to work.
Down 10 with two minutes until the half, Maxey, with seven points already in the quarter, powered the 76ers back in the game with a 9-2 run to close the quarter. It started with an assist from the guard, and a Drummond slam, and then seven straight points from Maxey for 14 in the quarter, making it 70-67 Cleveland heading into the half.
Despite a great second quarter from the 76ers, they could only keep that statement true for the first two minutes of the third quarter. Philadelphia managed to tie things up at 72 after a floater from Maxey and a three from Oubre, but the Cavs had stars on their side, and Mitchell and Jarrett Allen had had enough of the 76ers’ run.
Whether it was from three, in the paint, at the line, or on defense, Mitchell could not be stopped, and nobody could guard Allen in the paint. After the game was tied, Allen kicked off a 37-15 run for Cleveland, hit five shots in the paint in the quarter, and added two more points from the line for 12 in the third.
Mitchell, meanwhile, was unguarble as well, dropping 15 in the quarter on three threes, hitting all three of them in the final three minutes of the quarter to close. The Cavs ended the quarter on a 20-7 run to go up 107-87 with 12 minutes to play.
Up 20, that lead grew to 26 thanks to a few more buckets from Mitchell, crossing him over 40 points for the first time this season. Similar to the first quarter, the Cavs answered any runs the 76ers put together in the fourth. Back and forth they went, and the Cavs continued to hold a 20-point lead with under four minutes to play.
Kenny Atkinson began to empty Cleveland’s bench as the final minutes ticked down, as the damage was already for a 76ers comeback. Despite a late push, it was not enough as the 76ers fell to the Cavs 132-121 for their second straight loss.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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