Cleveland Cavaliers end two-game slump with win over Philadelphia 76ers
The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back after losing their last two games when they snapped their skid with a 101-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday 16 November at the Quicken Loans
Arena in Cleveland.
Daniel Gibson had a great shooting night as he scored a game-high 18 points on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond-the-arc and dished out eight assists, while Jamario Moon and Joey Graham added
13 points each for the Cavaliers, who dropped their last two games after collapsing in the second half of those games.
“Everybody has been harping on it,” said Moon on Cleveland’s second-half collapse. “We know if we're going to win, we have to play 48 minutes and tonight we finally did it.”
Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott had nothing but praise for his team during the post-game news conference, saying that the team played with a high level of defensive mindset, energy, and
effort, especially in the third period.
“The third quarter has been our nemesis all season,” said Scott. “Tonight, we came out with a different mindset and different energy, especially in the third quarter.”
The Cavaliers, who were outscored in the third quarter in eight of their first nine games this season, had a huge 11-0 blast in the third period, highlighted by Anthony Parker’s dive for
the loose ball that led to an and-one play for Anderson Varejao, giving Cleveland a 72-61 lead.
“That's what it's all about right there,” said Gibson on the hustle play of Parker. “AP, he's a veteran in this league and to see him laying out trying to win a game, I think that trickled
down throughout the whole team. Everybody wanted to do whatever it took to win.”
And with a 10-point lead heading into the final period, the Cavaliers stepped up on the defensive end of the floor, and held off late rallies by Philadelphia to escape with their fifth win
in ten games this season.
Thaddeus Young paced Philadelphia with his 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds, while rookie Evan Turner added 16 points and nine rebounds, but they couldn’t stop Cleveland’s
offensive attack in the second and third period of the game.
“We had a miserable third quarter,” said Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins. “We gave them 61 points in the second and third.”
Philadelphia played without Andre Iguodala, who is still bothered by his ailing Achilles’ tendon that will likely cause him to miss more games this season.
“We lose a big weapon when Andre doesn't play,” Collins said. “Without him, we lose his quickness. That's a huge loss.”
Tags: