Cavs blow 18-point lead, still get best of 76ers in OT

Field Level Media|published: Tue 21st November, 22:59 2023

Nov 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. credits: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Garland scored 32 points, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley recorded double-doubles and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied after squandering an 18-point lead to beat the host Philadelphia 76ers 122-119 in overtime on Tuesday night in an NBA in-season tournament game.

Allen had the last of his 26 points on a go-ahead basket with 18 seconds remaining in the extra period, scoring after Garland rebounded his own miss and Craig Porter dished out his game-high ninth assist.

The victory extended Cleveland's winning streak to four games and improved the Cavaliers to 2-1 in East Group A action in the in-season tournament. The win came after Philadelphia, which trailed almost the entire game, chipped away at its deficit throughout the second half.

Joel Embiid scored 32 points, including seven of Philadelphia's 11 during an 11-4 run midway through the fourth quarter that pulled the Sixers within 99-96 with 5:02 left. Tobias Harris, who scored 23 points, hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 2:49 remaining in regulation to kick off a stretch in which neither side led by more than two points until the final 9.5 seconds of overtime.

The extra session featured three ties and five lead changes, the penultimate one coming on another Harris 3-pointer with 37.4 seconds remaining.

Allen's basket on the ensuing Cleveland possession and the Cavaliers' defense of Tyrese Maxey's layup attempt on the other end set up Garland, who canned a pair of free throws with 9.5 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Max Strus, who shot 5-for-10 from 3-point range, finished with 20 points for the Cavaliers. Mobley had 18 points and 12 rebounds, with Allen adding a game-high-tying 13 rebounds.

Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell for a third consecutive game due to a hamstring injury.

Maxey finished with 30 points and a team-high six assists in the loss. Embiid matched Allen's game high with 13 rebounds and blocked a game-high five shots. De'Anthony Melton added 13 points for the Sixers.

With the loss, Philadelphia fell to 2-2 in in-season tournament play.

—Field Level Media

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