National Basketball Association
Philadelphia 108, Cleveland 97
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 1, 2018
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials:
#14 Ed Malloy, #72 J.T. Orr, #42 Eric Lewis
Attendance:
20562
By Field Level Media
Dario Saric hit two key hoops in the final 5:09 to squash Cleveland rallies Thursday night, helping the Philadelphia 76ers hold on for a 108-97 victory over the Cavaliers in a nationally televised game in Cleveland.
The win was Philadelphia's first in three tries against Cleveland this season, and allowed the 76ers (33-27) to move within 2 1/2 games of the Cavaliers (36-25) in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The loss cut into the Cavaliers' lead in the Central Division. They now lead Indiana (34-27) by just two games.
The 76ers led 82-71 after an interior hoop by newcomer Ersan Ilyasova with 9:07 to play before LeBron James had two hoops and teammates Kyle Korver and Rodney Hood each buried a 3-pointer in a 14-3 burst that produced an 85-all tie.
But Saric rescued the 76ers for the first time, dropping in a layup that pushed Philadelphia back on top.
A 3-pointer by Korver with 2:25 to go got the Cavaliers back within one, before Saric again came through at a critical time, burying a 3-pointer of his own to push the 76ers' advantage back to four at 98-94 with 2:09 to go.
The 76ers held on from there to produce their first win after losses to Washington and Miami to open a three-game trip.
J.J. Redick had 22 points to lead the 76ers, who never trailed in the second half.
Joel Embiid (17 points, game-high 14 rebounds) and Robert Covington (10 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for the 76ers, while Ben Simmons flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and a team-high eight assists.
Saric finished with 16 points.
James poured in a game-high 30 points for the Cavaliers, who have alternated wins and losses in their last six games.
James also found time for nine rebounds and a team-high eight assists.
Larry Nance Jr. had 13 points, Hood 11 and Jordan Clarkson 10 for the Cavaliers, who lost for the second time in three outings on their five-game homestand.
Tristan Thompson collected a team-high 11 rebounds for Cleveland.
The 76ers held the upper hand through most of the first half, building an eight-point lead in the first quarter and a 10-point lead in the second en route to a 59-56 halftime advantage.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Philadelphia |
|
Cleveland |
JJ Redick 22 |
Scoring |
LeBron James 30 |
Ben Simmons 8 |
Assists |
LeBron James 8 |
Joel Embiid 14 |
Rebounds |
Tristan Thompson 11 |
JJ Redick 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Jordan Clarkson 4 |
Ben Simmons 2 |
Steals |
Jordan Clarkson 1 |
Amir Johnson 2 |
Blocks |
Larry Nance Jr. 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Philadelphia
|
108 |
44.4 |
10-30 |
18-27 |
22 |
54 |
5 |
4 |
10 |
Cleveland
|
97 |
41.4 |
9-32 |
16-23 |
23 |
45 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
Upcoming Games
-
Cleveland will play their next game at home against Denver. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .595 after a win and .583 after a loss.
-
Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Charlotte. The 76ers have a W/L % of .576 after a win and .519 after a loss.