Sixers-Cavs Recap: Showtime Shake Milton!

The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers for a game Thursday night. Coming into that game, I felt cautiously optimistic that the Cavs would be without two of their young cornerstones in Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance, Jr. The Cavs have been having a rough time lately, suffering seven losses in their last 10. matches as they dive into the lottery. It seemed like an easy W to recover after the Sixers suffered back-to-back losses.

However, I had to remember the previous clashes against this team. The Sixers, for whatever reason (?), Have struggled fiercely against the Cavs this season. Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova were also upgraded from questionable to available, giving the Cavs much needed reinforcements.

The Sixers also went with their regular starting unit with Mike Scott in place for injured Joel Embiid. Scott has … had a hard time saying the least lately. While there are probably better options than Scott, I’ll say that makes sense, as the Cavs were essentially using Kevin Love as their fifth stretch.

Here’s a look at what we’ve seen quarter by quarter:

1st trimester:

We saw the usual First Quarter Sixers on display tonight: a little lethargic on both sides of the floor. This is to some extent to be expected, as they come at the end of a six-game road trip. The start period saw Kevin Love – who hasn’t really played a game since December – hitting his first three straight shots. A Collin Sexton 3 caused a timeout early for the Sixers as the Cavs increased their lead to 13-5.

One of my favorite games came at the start of this quarter, with a simple off-ball movement from Seth Curry. It’s so great to see him have a quick trigger. He’s a skilled shooter, and these types of shots will be of great benefit to him and the offense:

Turns out Doc’s untimely time-out did the trick for the Sixers’ struggling offense, as the Sixers responded with another Seth Curry 3 and Ben Simmons hitting the foul line multiple times. Simmons struggled a lot on the offensive end of the field, so absorbing contact and getting fouled was a promising development. Maybe it had to do with the blindfold?

Seth Curry entered this game with what seemed like a new level of confidence and completely torched the Cavs’ zone defense, hitting three of his four 3-point attempts in the period. The Sixers quickly went from an eight-point drop to a three-point increase.

The Sixers ended the period on a high note in many areas. I thought the Sixers’ defense looked great at first – the Cavs weren’t getting the same open looks they were in the opening minutes. Ben Simmons and Danny Green, in particular, had some great defensive moments. The Sixers also did well in generating a few extra looks, as they had five impressive offensive rebounds in the first quarter.

The game remained close as the first quarter came to a close, mainly due to Kevin Love having no rust. He was instrumental in keeping the Cavs in this game as he finished the first frame with 13 points with the score locked in at 31.

2nd quarter:

I have to give the Sixers bench unit a lot of credit because they started the second quarter on a high note. They went on a quick 5-0 run with Matisse Thybulle hitting a 3 corner and Dwight Howard continuing to give the Cavs small frontcourt problems with a monster one-handed backhand.

I was very impressed with Shake Milton from the start, as he took and did 3s with little hesitation, hitting two of them from the corner. Milton, who has had a rather successful season in terms of growth, had a down year with his 3-point shot. Adding another ball manager to George Hill should help increase Shake’s effectiveness for the remainder of the season.

The second quarter was not perfect for the Sixers, however. Tobias Harris managed to land his third personal foul around the seventh minute of the period, prompting Doc Rivers to insert Mike Scott in his place.

Harris benching appeared to briefly shift the momentum in favor of the Cavs. Kevin Love continues to look like a 6-10-inch Steph Curry, and a few baskets from the Cavs forced the Sixers to request a time-out as their comfortable lead quickly dwindled to just two points.

Ben Simmons, while being aggressive, had a very difficult half on the attacking side. Simmons did a great job getting a few early shot attempts and hitting the foul line, but he just couldn’t find the back of the basket. It seemed like he was settling in a lot, as he even pulled away from Mathew Dellavedova during a shot attempt. We’ve seen what Simmons is capable of in the past, so hopefully he returns to his previous form as soon as possible. He was lackluster 2 out of 10 on the pitch at the end of half time.

Shake Milton and Seth Curry were the main reason the Sixers were up 58-56 at halftime – as they had a total of 29 points on an 11 of 20 effective shot. Both did a great job. picking their shots, getting to their spots, and hitting perimeter shots with little hesitation.

3rd trimester:

You can tell the Sixers missed Tobias Harris during the first half of this game, as he immediately gave the Cavs trouble early in the 3rd quarter. The Cavs simply couldn’t come up with an answer for Harris’s arrivals in the lane. It’s an area that has been overlooked in terms of success this year – it has been downright excellent to finish around the rim. The Sixers climbed back up to seven points after a Danny Green 3, which forced Cleveland to call a time out.

Danny Green also started to come to life in the second half of this game. Green has been off since the All-Star hiatus, and this game was no exception.

Seth Curry continued to remain aggressive as this game progressed. He even tried his 10th 3rd of the match halfway through the 3rd quarter. No one doubts Curry’s shooting ability, but his unwillingness to attempt a “semi-open” 3-pointer has been a pretty big focal point in the Sixers’ weaknesses. Hopefully he can build on that performance – he’s a talented shooter who should be given the green light in any 3-point attempt. Fire away, Seth!

The Sixers managed to gain a respectable lead for most of the 3rd quarter, mostly thanks to the Sixers’ 3-point shot. Dwight Howard also shone during this period, being a primary factor and a presence across many defensive possessions. One of my favorite things Howard brings is his ability to generate second positions off the offensive rebounds. Teams struggle to box him, and the Cavs were no different.

The Sixers had their most successful period of play. Tobias Harris was a huge spark on offense, Seth Curry continued to shoot, and the Sixers bench did a solid job of holding the Cavs at arm’s length. The Sixers outscored the Cavs 27-17 in the frame, giving them an 85-73 lead going into the 4th quarter.

4th quarter:

Shake Milton continued to shine with his shooting perimeter as the Sixers started the final frame, putting in an impressive 4 of 5 of 3. There haven’t been many games this season where Shake has been stalking perimeter gazes and shot the ball without hesitation – with this game being a huge exception. This type of good Shake game can’t come at a better time, as it will have tons of looks created while playing alongside George Hill in the near future.

The Sixers bench continued to excel late in that game. Not only did they manage to hold the established double-digit lead, but they extended it. They even put together a really fun play sequence:

He’s the best off the Sixers bench. They all played in their roles, did their jobs, and just kicked the Cavs out of their own backyard. They deserve a ton of credit for putting this game aside, with Shake Milton and Dwight Howard in the lead.

It was a game the Sixers should have put away quickly, and they pretty much did their job. Any game where you can rest the starters for the entire fourth quarter should be seen as a huge bonus to any win. Danny Green played the most minutes of the starting five, just over 26 minutes.

Here are some of the best Sixer stats of the night:

Shake Milton: 27 points (10-14 FG, 5-7 3PT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, +23

Dwight Howard: 18 points (6-7 FG), 15 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, +20

Seth Curry: 19 points (7-15 FG, 5-10 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, +2

Danny Green: 11 points (3-7 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, +9

Matisse Thybulle: 5 points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks, +18

Looking forward:

The Sixers getting a much needed W rebound is awesome, as they are currently doing an about-face with the Brooklyn Nets for the Eastern Conference’s first seed.

The Sixers’ six-game road trip looks to be quite a success, as they went 4-2 without their MVP contender. It is considered “good” to be .500 on the road, so the Sixers setting a record above without their top player puts them in a very good position to move forward. Doc Rivers and the entire list deserve a ton of credit.

The Sixers will have a back-to-back coming this weekend at their home against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzles. Joel Embiid is set to play on Saturday night, assuming there are no setbacks. George Hill may or may not make his debut in these games.

It was a solid win the Sixers should build on. Their shooting and 3-point defense – which has been the league’s best since the All-Star break – were big factors in this one. The team that ends this six-game road trip on a high note is formidable, and they will soon find their MVP contender in the mix.