CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers could taken a massive step toward returning to full strength Nov. 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Guards Darius Garland and Sam Merrill and center Jarrett Allen could all return Wednesday night. Garland has yet to make his season debut after undergoing offseason toe surgery. The Cavs have been riddled with injuries to start the season, though they’ve viewed that as partly a silver lining, as several young players at the end of the bench have been given some extra opportunities.
Follow along here for live score updates, analysis and highlights from the Cavs-76ers game Nov. 5 at Rocket Arena.
Jaylon Tyson slammed home a great put-back dunk, and a few possessions later Lonzo Ball found Jarrett Allen in transition with a terrific pass to the paint, and the Cavs are maintaining a 92-80 lead with 3:17 in the third quarter thanks to a few highlight-reel plays.
A Jaylon Tyson block led to a fastbreak. Evan Mobley passed it to Tyson, who quickly threw an alley-oop toward the basket. The pass was a bit errant, but Mobley was able to tip it in anyway, and the Cavs are maintaining a 79-72 lead with 8:50 to go in the third quarter.
Tyson continues to make a major impact when he’s on the floor. He now has eight points and three assists, and his defensive presence has been a major plus for the Cavs early in the season.
The Cavs offense has been superb tonight — the defense has left a lot to be desired for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers will take a 70-67 lead into halftime. Donovan Mitchell already has 21 points and is on pace for a 40-point game. Darius Garland had eight points, two rebounds and three assists in his first half of basketball back in the starting lineup.
Coach Kenny Atkinson talked pregame about all the different things the Cavs needed to do to slow down Tyrese Maxey, who has been on a scorching-hot tear lately. Those goals haven’t been realized yet, as Maxey already has 18 points and four assists.
Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley have dominated this one, as they have 17 and 15 points, respectively, and the Cavs lead 54-45 with 6:49 left in the second quarter.
Darius Garland is 1-for-3 from the floor. His impact has been evident in the passing game, though he hasn’t yet gotten going on the scoring end.
The first quarter of play with the Cavs at least close to full strength resulted in a 41-27 lead over the 76ers.
With Mitchell and Garland on the floor together for the first time this season, the Cavs offense again clicked. Cleveland shot 52 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range, and the entire offense operated with more room, as defenses have more threats to pursue.
Mitchell put together a 15-point quarter, hitting four of his five attempts. Evan Mobley had 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Garland, in just under six minutes on the floor, had three points and an assist.
Virtually everything is working for the Cavs, except for Jarrett Allen attempting two 3-point attempts, neither of which were close at all. While it’s fun for the home crowd, it’s probably something that shouldn’t continue.
Cavs forward Dean Wade is questionable to return with a right eye injury, according to an update from the team.
The Cavaliers offense, which is being powered by Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland on the floor at the same time for the first time this season, looks like it hasn’t missed a beat, and Cleveland has built a 17-4 lead four minutes into this game.
Mitchell already has eight points. Mitchell missed his first 3-point attempt of the season but buried his second. The Cavs have had a level of spacing on the offensive end that hasn’t been there yet this season.
Below is some pregame information.
The Cavs are wearing their blue alternates from the mid-2000s era teams tonight, which might be among the best in franchise history. These will perhaps be best remembered for LeBron James’ historic performance in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, when he scored 25 consecutive points in fourth quarter and in overtime.
While All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell returned to the floor recently, Garland (toe), center Allen (finger) and Merrill (hip) are all set to return from their respective injuries. All three will be available tonight.
Though the Cavs will be without De’Andre Hunter, who is out with an illness.
Max Strus (foot surgery) remains out as well.
Cavs agree to deal with Chris Livingston
The Cavs and former Buchtel player Chris Livingston have agree to terms on a two-way deal. The team confirmed the deal on Nov. 4.
How can I watch/stream/listen to the Cavs vs 76ers game?
The Nov. 5 Cavs-76ers game can be viewed locally on the FanDuel Sports Network — Ohio. It can heard on the radio on 100.7 WMMS, 1100 WTAM and S: LA MEGA 1300.
