CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The J.B. Bickerstaff era is off to a promising start.
The Cavs won their second consecutive game against a team with a record above .500 on Wednesday, beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-94. It’s their fourth win in the last five games, possibly moving out of the Eastern Conference cellar.
The Cavs didn’t have starting center Andre Drummond, who missed the game because of a strained calf. That absence seemed problematic going into the game, especially with Philadelphia All-Star center Joel Embiid coming off a career scoring night on Monday. But Embiid exited after just eight minutes following a tough collision with Cavs backup center Ante Zizic.
At that point, the Sixers, one of the league’s worst road teams who are without point guard Ben Simmons indefinitely, were already teetering.
The Cavs, playing with the same spirit and passion that fueled an improbable come-from-behind win over Miami two nights earlier, suffocated the 76ers early on, holding Philadelphia to just 40.4% from the field and 34.2% from 3-point range.
“Defense, defense, defense,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “J.B. has been preaching that. Just energy and unselfishness. We’ve really been doing that on both ends, especially the defensive end."
The last time the two teams played, Philly cruised to a blowout win, scoring a season-high 141 points and causing murmurs in the locker room about the bubbling frustration during a joyless season. Back then, no one had answers on how to fix Cleveland’s myriad problems. Not players. Not the coaching staff. The Cavs were in a dark place.
That was nearly three months ago. It was in Philadelphia, where the Sixers are one of the league’s most formidable opponents. That’s when Philly had Simmons, the engine of the offense and one of the linchpins on defense. It’s when the hopeless Cavs were battling internal chaos.
Things change quickly in the NBA. These aren’t the same Cavs. Bickerstaff’s impact is being felt nightly.
“I think there’s been a concerted effort to a man to just go out and try to get after it a little bit harder,” Bickerstaff said. “There is an energy that’s building and you don’t want to be the one guy that’s not participating in it.
"You see the leadership, you see the young guys, they are pushing one another, they are holding each other accountable, they are having real conversations to fix problems. The environment and culture we are creating is growing and that’s going to be the foundation of it. It’s a bunch of guys who play hard but play well together also.”
Collin Sexton led the way. He poured in a game-high 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sexton scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, repeatedly hitting timely buckets as the 76ers were trying to close in. Philly got within five at one point, but the Cavs kept responding, capping an impressive wire-to-wire win.
“It was awesome,” Bickerstaff said of Sexton’s performance. “These last few games, somebody else somewhere has stepped up and tonight was Collin’s night. They went on a run and he made two shots to put their run to a stop. That’s what he’s capable of. Collin is a rare guy where he can roll out of bed and get you 20 and that’s not common in the NBA.”
Tristan Thompson, starting in place of Drummond, finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 32 minutes. Nance chipped in with 13 points, 15 boards and three assists off the bench. He has reached double figures in scoring in 14 of the last 15 games.
Even little-used Matthew Dellavedova, getting an opportunity because of Dante Exum’s sprained ankle that is expected to keep him out an extended period of time, tallied 12 points, his second-highest scoring total this season. He made all five of his shots, the most field goals without a miss in his NBA career.
Everybody has got to do their part," Bickerstaff said. “Delly has been great this entire season. He has been in and out, his minutes have been kind of sporadic, but he is always prepared. Delly is the type of guy you want on your team. He is a role model and shows the young guys what it’s like to be a professional and how it is to prepare every single day.”
The Cavs are 3-1 under Bickerstaff.
“It’s been real nice, four out of our last five, and we’re just trying to look forward and hopefully we can just keep that up,” Nance said.
Up next
The Cavs will head on the road for a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. Tipoff is 8 p.m.
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