Three Reasons Why The Cavs Let Game Slip Away Against 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second consecutive game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered another loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. This one was much closer than their previous matchup a few weeks back, but it will show up in the win/loss column as the same.

These are some of the reasons why the Cavs weren't able to seal the deal against Philly.

Questionable ending ...#Cavs | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/GXKW9PPyk3

— Cleveland Cavaliers On SI (@CLECavsOnSI) March 16, 2023

Foul Trouble

The Cavs quickly got into foul trouble which is the last place you want to be against the 76ers. 

After the first quarter, Darius Garland accumulated two fouls as the team racked up five total. By the time the second quarter finished up, Isaac Okoro had three and Evan Mobley quickly found himself with two.

Cleveland finished the night with 18 fouls called against them which is slightly below their season average of 18.8 a game The officials were calling this game tight early on and the Cavs looked timid on defense as they tried to adjust.

Missing Paint Presence

All things considered, Evan Mobley did a good job guarding Joel Embiid even though the MVP candidate scored 36 against the Cavs. Mobley was given the impossible task of containing Embiid even though he was the only center the Cavs had. 

If Jarrett Allen was available to play then Embiid's night could've looked a lot different. Allen is one of the team's best defenders they have, especially in the paint. 

Missing JA definitely hurt the Cavs, but untimely injuries are a reality of a lengthy NBA season

Second Half Struggles Continue

Have you heard this one before? The Cavs played the 76ers well in the first half, but let the game slip away from them in the fourth. 

Cleveland's struggles from their loss in Philadelphia followed them home. The Cavs went into the locker room at halftime with a 60-55 lead and even extended it to 13 points early in the third.

However, it wouldn't take long for the 76ers to make the necessary adjustments to get themselves right back into it. Philadelphia ended up outscoring the Cavs in both the third and fourth quarters. 

The Cavs' inability to play four complete quarters against tough competition is one of my biggest worries as they get closer to the playoffs. It does question how they will look against a more experienced team in an extended series. 

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