Monstrous fourth quarter from Tyrese Maxey carries Sixers past Cavs

The Philadelphia 76ers wereaiming to “bounce back,” according to coach Nick Nurse, fromThursday's disappointing loss to the New York Knicks, and they didjust that against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

"A lot of length, a lot of size,they got really good defense to protect the rim. I think bothguards can hurt you in a lot of ways,” Nurse said of the Cavaliers’roster prior to the matchup.

There were an abundance ofKnicks fans in Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, but the arena waspacked full of Philadelphia supporters on Friday evening. TheSixers won the tip-off, wasting no time to get the crowd on theirfeet. Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. delivered a monster slam dunk on theopening possession over Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. The star ofthe show for Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey, kicked off his night witha stepback three-pointer. The opening quarter was highlighted bythe late efforts of guard Cameron Payne, who grabbed an offensiverebound for a layup and drained a corner shot from the arc to levelthe score at 25 after one.

The second quarter began withTobias Harris struggling, with multiple missed shots inside thepaint within the first three minutes. However, Payne picked up forthe slack on offense, with points from all three levels. Maxeyoperated the pick-and-roll game with forward K.J. Martinmasterfully, which led to a clear lane for Martin to score. Theefforts of Allen and guard Isaac Okoro kept Cleveland within reachuntil halftime, when the Sixers led by three points.

Payne led the 76ers in scoringat the half with 13 points, while star guard Darius Garland led theCavs with 12 points.

The Cavaliers were refreshedcoming out of the break as Okoro found the basket for two, followedby a drive-and-score from forward Max Strus. Maxey refused to letthe Cavs take over, responding with multiple contested shots of hisown. Harris was able to find a rhythm at the midway point of thequarter, draining a three-pointer and a set of free throws. Triplesfrom sharpshooter Buddy Hield and Oubre increased their lead to 11points. Late energy from big man Evan Mobley and Strus kept theCavaliers competitive, with a score of 74-70 entering the final 12minutes.

The final quarter began with anelectric acrobatic finish from guard De’Anthony Melton, followed bya fluent mid-range shot from center Paul Reed. Interior defense wasa glaring issue for the Sixers throughout the night, with Allentaking full advantage. The night couldn’t end before Maxey createda multitude of looks for himself down the stretch, which resultedin a 24-point outing. It was a back-and-forth battle until thefinal buzzer, but ultimately the 76ers prevailed. Despite thecomeback attempt from Cleveland, a deep-range three-pointer fromHield was the dagger, resulting in the 104-97 victory.

The Sixers are facing offagainst the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening, where PatrickBeverley makes his return and Payne takes on his formerteam.

“It’s turnt. It’s turnt. Let’sget it,” Payne told Basketball News postgame when asked aboutplaying against the Bucks.