In an 82-game NBA grind, there’s always that one night - that one game - when a team finds something deeper than talent. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, their 117-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers might just be that turning-point moment. Shorthanded, on the road, and facing a Sixers team hungry for payback after getting smothered by the Cavs in the same building two nights earlier, Cleveland didn’t just survive - they responded.
This wasn’t a clean, highlight-reel victory. It was messy, hard-fought, and full of self-inflicted wounds.
The Cavs coughed up 18 turnovers, which Philly turned into 32 points. They trailed by double digits three different times.
And yet, every time the Sixers looked like they were about to pull away, Cleveland clawed back. There were 12 ties, 10 lead changes, and a whole lot of grit in between.
Wins like this don’t come easy - especially not when you’re missing key players, playing in a hostile environment, and making the kind of mistakes that usually bury teams. But the Cavs didn’t flinch.
They just kept playing. That resilience?
It felt different. It felt like something this team can build on.
“To meet that resistance, climb back into the game even when we're down and with the crowd and everything… most resilient performance of the season,” said Jarrett Allen.
Allen’s seen this team face adversity before, but the way they responded Friday night stood out. The Sixers came in with a clear game plan: take Donovan Mitchell out of the equation.
They doubled him from the opening tip, forcing the Cavs to find offense elsewhere. And that’s exactly what they did.
Jaylon Tyson stepped up with a career night. But he wasn’t alone.
Rookie Tyrese Proctor, seeing his first real rotational minutes in nearly a month, poured in 13 timely points and played with the kind of defensive poise that belied his inexperience. Two-way forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin brought the energy - high-flying dunks, relentless defense, and a spark that lit up the Cavs’ bench.
And then there was Porter, steady at the helm, dishing out 11 assists to just one turnover as the team’s primary playmaker.
“We knew coming into the game they would try to take Donovan away, knowing that Sam [Merrill] and DG [Darius Garland] were out,” Porter said. “And we knew we all had to step up in a different way.”
That’s exactly what happened. The young guys didn’t just hold their own - they made winning plays.
Proctor scoring more points than minutes played. Tyson rising to the occasion.
Tomlin setting the tone with his defense. And Porter orchestrating the offense with veteran-level control.
“It just adds another layer of confidence,” Porter added. “I feel like our defense, when Nae’Qwan, me, Lonzo [Ball], and others were in the game, just contributes to winning basketball and sets the tone.”
Head coach Kenny Atkinson echoed that sentiment. With Garland and Merrill sidelined and the rotation in flux, Cleveland leaned heavily on its depth - and it paid off.
“That Philly game, those are the most satisfying wins,” Atkinson said. “That’s been one of the real bright spots of this season, how our young guys have played… we’re just going to keep doubling down on it. We have to, where we are with the injuries.”
Atkinson knows the rotation might not look the same every night. Some games it’ll be 10 guys, others maybe nine.
But the commitment to depth and development is clear. And it’s giving this team an identity.
Allen sees it too. He praised the young players for their offseason work - grinding through the summer with Atkinson, earning their minutes, and now showing they belong.
“They basically sacrificed their summer and came in here and worked with Kenny, which people know that's not easy to do,” Allen said. “I'm proud of these guys for being the best that they can.”
Mitchell, who’s carried much of the offensive load through the first half of the season, might finally be getting some help. Garland’s right-toe injury isn’t ideal, but the Cavs seem mentally prepared to weather that storm - something that wasn’t always the case earlier in the year.
After a frustratingly close win over the Wizards back in December, Mitchell’s message was simple: stay positive, stay together, and keep chipping away.
“Everybody has a part, and that's where we use it to uplift,” he said at the time.
That mindset seems to be taking hold. Atkinson pointed to Mitchell’s leadership as a stabilizing force in the locker room - even when the team was losing.
“Donovan's the most positive guy in the world,” Atkinson said. “There was never even a tinge of him having a lack of belief in the team or what we're doing. He just kind of doubles down on this group.”
That belief was on full display Friday. Cleveland didn’t panic.
They didn’t slow down. They just kept playing Cavs basketball - even when the game got chaotic.
“We just kept running our offense,” Allen said. “We didn’t slow down.”
And now, with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games and the third-best offensive rating in the league (122.2) over the past two weeks, the Cavaliers are looking like a team that might be ready to turn the corner.
Is this who they really are? Or just a hot stretch?
Time will tell. But if Friday night in Philly was any indication, this team might be closer to figuring it out than anyone thought.