Donovan Mitchell delivered a dominant performance with 35 points and nine assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 133–107 on Wednesday night.
Darius Garland added 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting before exiting late in the third quarter with a right foot injury after diving for a loose ball. Garland, who underwent surgery in June on his left big toe following Cleveland’s playoff exit, had recently regained form after a slow start to the season. The All-Star guard averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists during the regular season, helping the Cavaliers finish atop the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland set the tone early behind sharp perimeter shooting. De’Andre Hunter knocked down early 3-pointers as the Cavaliers built leads of 30–14 in the first quarter and 60–47 at halftime. Hunter finished with 17 points, while Evan Mobley added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Philadelphia struggled to keep pace and trailed 75–53 during the third quarter, prompting boos from the home crowd as the team headed into a timeout. The Sixers briefly showed life with a 10–0 run fueled by 3-pointers from Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes, capped by a Joel Embiid 3 that pulled Philadelphia within 79–66. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Cleveland quickly reasserted control and pushed the lead to 22 midway through the fourth quarter.
Embiid led the Sixers with 20 points and reached 13,000 career points with a 3-pointer, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to hit the milestone. Paul George chipped in 17 points in the opener of a two-game series.
Philadelphia also suffered an injury scare when forward Dom Barlow had to be helped off the court after landing hard on his back and head on a driving layup attempt. He was diagnosed with a back contusion.
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The Cavaliers and 76ers will meet again Friday.
