By: Kylan Watson

After beating the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers who are the hottest team in the NBA. The Sixers had to face them with a short-handed team that is still trying to adjust to playing with the new additions acquired during last week’s trade deadline. Both teams traded blows throughout this game, but thanks to Hield offensive showcase and a Paul Reed block. Philly was able to get a statement victory beating Cleveland 123-121.

The Sixers started this game off hot they made 66% percent of their shots in the first quarter putting the Cavs on their heels early on. The trio of Buddy Hield (24 points, had eight assists, and made five/eight three-pointers in the contest), Kelly Oubre Jr. (24 points), and Tyrese Maxey (22 points) combined for 60 of Philly’s 123 points. Each player put their stamp on this contest but none of them had a bigger impact than Hield. Since being traded to the Sixers last Thursday, Hield has played with creativity and freedom that Philly has not had available on their roster in a long time. He is not just a shooter even though he made five three-pointers in this contest. Hield also attacked the paint to get the Cavaliers in foul trouble and made some impressively difficult shots. His ability to shot create has created more room for a returning Tyrese Maxey to operate and he has been using his playmaking skills to create high percentage shots for his teammates. That has added another dimension to the Sixers offense and even though he fouled out of this contest he built the confidence up in his teammates enough that they were still able to withstand a final effort from the Cavs to win this game. The confidence of this undermanned squad has been impressive, and with the All-Star Break forthcoming later this week. The Sixers should be able to get healthier and they will be a problem even without Joel Embiid and that should scare the rest of their opponents as the second half of the season approaches.

Despite the offensive explosion from Hield, Oubre Jr., and Maxey Cleveland was able to withstand the storm. In the third quarter they made the necessary adjustments to unlock their offense, scoring 30 points in that period and retaking the league from the Sixers. The trio of Donovan Mitchell (36 points), Darius Garland (21 points), and Jarret Allen (21 points) combined for 78 of Cleveland’s 121 points. Mitchell could not be stopped in this game he took full advantage of Joel Embiid not being on the floor and attacked the paint, and when he did that, he was fouled and got Philly’s defenders in foul trouble. On one particular play he got a steal and made a lay-up and was fouled as well. That bucket not only cut the Sixers lead to five points, but also ended Buddy Hield’s night. If the Cavs had more time, they could have pulled this one out, but a Paul Reed block and a Darius Garland missed corner three ended their hopes for a victory in this contest. The Cavaliers are a dangerous team the combo of Mitchell’s dynamic scoring abilities and their defensive duo of Evan Mobley and Jarret Allen, will be a problem for most opposing teams on their schedule when the second half begins in a few weeks.

The Sixers now have one more game before the All-Star Break as they travel back to Philly to face the Miami Heat on Wednesday Night. The Heat are also dealing with a bunch of injuries and this game will be a fight because whenever these two teams get together magic happens. The Sixers will need to make sure that they stay attached to their man on the defensive end, and make sure Miami’s shooters have hands in their faces when they shoot the ball. They may not be able to slow an emboldened Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, but they can slow down their teammates and make sure they limit them to one possession. Additionally, the Sixers will need to cash in on the high-percentage shots that are created off of their ball movement like they did tonight. If they can implement these things into their gameplan they should be able to win their 33^rd game of the season and head into the break a more confident team.