Cavs Top Sixers 112-108

There’s something about Cleveland teams playing at 1pm on Sunday afternoons recently. The Browns haven’t won a game, and the Cavaliers put forth one of their most lackluster performances to date in Philadelphia against the 76ers. Cleveland did find a way to win the game 112-108.

Some thoughts from today’s Cavalier victory in Philly –

• One of the biggest issues in this game was the lack of production outside of the Big 3. LeBron, Love, and Irving all played relatively well, but not too many others did. One bright spot coming off the bench was James Jones. Jones knocked down a couple of three pointers in his limited time. He was able to get on the floor thanks to the combination of Iman Shumpert’s hamstring and Love needing to have stitches put in above his eye.
• Took first lead of game with a little over 9 min left in game, and once they finally got in front the team took control of the game, pushing their lead out to 11 at one point in the 4^th. This was thanks in large part to Irving. He exploded in the final period for 19 points.
• The struggles of JR Smith continued. Smith went 0-10 from the floor including 0-7 from three against Philly. He has been ice cold as of late, against Dallas he turned in a 1-11 from the field, with nine of his misses coming from deep. Smith still has been engaged defensively, but the shooting definitely has not been there for him yet this season. The wonder is when he will return to form, which in part could be due to his holdout going into training camp.
• Kyrie Irving is a bad man, especially in the fourth quarter. Everyone remembers some of his most notable have come late in games, even before LeBron came back to Cleveland. Against Philadelphia Irving had 39 points, with 19 of them coming in the 4^th. The Cavs took the lead thanks to a driving layup by Irving with LeBron on the bench.
• Yesterday, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder finished off the 44^th triple-double of his career. This tied him with LeBron for sixth all-time. James placed himself back in sole possession of sixth all-time with his 45^th triple-double. He finished with a stat line of 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds.
• The Sixers aren’t the most impressive team in the world, with their record sitting at 4-13 now, but this was a good win for the Cavs. Without Channing Fyre, Shumpert, and a poor outing from Smith, Mike Dunleavy, and Richard Jefferson the team still found a way to win. The Cavs are now 13-2, the best start through 15 games in franchise history.