PHILADELPHIA: LeBron James entered Sunday’s game with 7:50 left and the Cavaliers clinging to a two-point lead. By the time he was finished, he matched his season high in scoring and the 76ers had no chance to recover.
James scored 37 points, including 12 in the fourth, and the Cavs pulled away late for a 95-85 victory on a night everyone outside of James struggled to make a shot. James scored nearly half of the team’s baskets (15 of 35) and the Cavs combined to shoot 29 percent excluding their star.
“He’s been doing that for a long time. It’s nothing new,” coach David Blatt said. “We have confidence in him and obviously he has the confidence to make the plays because he’s done it so many times. Sometimes you’re better not having to be in that situation. Tonight was one of those nights.”
Kevin Love had 15 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists and J.R. Smith scored 14 points. Smith shot 4-of-12 on 3-pointers after shooting 60 percent from deep in his last three games. The Cavs couldn’t shake a feisty Sixers team that has won just four games, but battled the Cavs in three of the four meetings this season.
“That’s been them all year. They don’t quit, they play,” James said. “They play hard. They’re very athletic and they play together. We’re not looking to come here and blow anybody out. That’s not our motto. Our motto is just to go out and get a win and do it the right way.”
It’s debatable whether this was a “right way” win, but it was a win nonetheless. The Cavs carry a seven-game winning streak into the vaunted Texas triangle. They play at the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and conclude their longest road trip of the season at the Houston Rockets on Friday.
This wasn’t the offensive explosion of the previous three games, but it was enough to win. The Sixers went scoreless for nearly six minutes following James’ return in the fourth, missing eight consecutive shots (including two free throws) and committing three turnovers.
“We’re a more mature team and have a few more guys that can make some plays in the end,” Blatt said. “Those guys (the Sixers) play hard all the time and they’ve improved recently. They’re not going to make it easy for you. Unless you come ready to play and really play, then they’re going to stay close and that’s what they did.”
Backup center Timofey Mozgov was benched for the second half after firing an ill-time 3-pointer on the Cavs’ final possession of the first half. Mozgov’s struggles this season have been well documented and they continued Sunday.
The Cavs had a chance to hold for the final shot, but Mozgov instead hoisted a corner 3-pointer that clanked off the rim. The Sixers’ Nik Stauskas grabbed the rebound and the Sixers converted at the buzzer at the other end, trimming the Cavs’ lead to 48-47.
James glared at Mozgov the whole way off the court and Blatt conceded the shot was part of the reason Mozgov didn’t play in the second half, but said it was also more than that. Blatt used a small lineup the entire second half.
“They were playing small,” Blatt said. “We wanted to get the game back in our control and we did by playing a fair amount of minutes small as well.”