The Philadelphia 76ers and their fans got a glimpse into what could have been Friday night.
No, the “Big Three” the Sixers envisioned this season to win an Eastern Conference title and an NBA championship were not on the floor together. But two of the three weren’t bad against the Cleveland Cavaliers. (The late singer Meat Loaf may have been proud.) In fact, it was enough for the Sixers to beat the team tied for the top record in the NBA.
Paul George scored 30 points and shot 6-for-11 on 3s, and Tyrese Maxey added 29 points with seven assists. In place of Joel Embiid, out with swelling in his left knee, Kelly Oubre Jr. played. the third role with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Guerschon Yabusele scored 12 points with 13 rebounds, leading to a 132-129 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Cavs took a 28-23 lead on a 3-pointer by Sam Merrill with three minutes left in the first quarter, but Philadelphia went on a 16-5 run from there to end the opening frame, fueled by 3s by Maxey, Eric Gordon and Justin Edwards.
In the second quarter, Cleveland hit six 3s en route to outscoring the Sixers 34-25 and going into halftime with a 67-64 lead. The score was close, but would the Cavaliers come roaring back in the second half to assert themselves as they have done so many times this season?
With George and Oubre leading the way, that didn’t happen. George scored 14 in the third quarter, while Oubre added nine and Philadelphia ended the third with a 98-96 lead.
Despite a disappointing season thus far, Sixers fans felt a victory was within reach and were vocal throughout the fourth quarter, even as Cleveland took a 116-110 lead with six minutes remaining on a Ty Jerome 3-pointer . Philadelphia rallied to score the next seven points, taking the lead on a 3 from Gordon (who went 4-for-4 from behind the arc).
From that moment on, the Sixers never relinquished the lead and built an eight-point margin with less than two minutes to go. The Cavs pulled within one, 127-126, on another 3 from Jerome, but Maxey put the game away with four free throws. Donovan Mitchell hit another 3 to give Cleveland a chance to tie or win, but Edwards’ free throw with 1.1 seconds left gave Philadelphia the win.
Mitchell finished with 37 points and seven assists, while Jerome scored 33 points off the bench for the Cavs, who fell to 36-8. Darius Garland added 26 points with seven more assists. Evan Mobley missed his second straight game with a right calf strain and Jarrett Allen scored just eight despite an apparent mismatch against Yabusele.
The 76ers improved to 16-27, but still need to climb to be eligible for the No. 11 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Both teams have to play the second part of a back-to-back Saturday. Cleveland hosts the Houston Rockets (29-14), while Philadelphia visits the Chicago Bulls (19-26, two games ahead of the Sixers).