The Cavaliers had the game exactly where they wanted it, and then they watched it slip away.
Cleveland built a 29-point first-half cushion against Philadelphia and looked ready to open the 2026-27 season with a statement. Instead, the Sixers flipped the script after the break and rolled to a 114-106 win.
The first half was all Cavs. They came out forcing 15 turnovers and used that disruption to seize control early.
By the time the tone changed, Cleveland had already made its point. But the second half belonged to Philadelphia, and the comeback started almost as soon as the teams returned.
The Sixers cleaned up their ball security in a big way, committing only one turnover after halftime and finishing with fewer giveaways than Cleveland. That shift let them speed up in transition and chip away at the deficit before the Cavs could settle back in.
Philadelphia also changed the look of the floor on defense. Joel Embiid was pulled into the paint to play free safety, and Cleveland’s offense lost the space it had in the opening half.
With the Sixers willing to concede shots from Evan Mobley and Peyton Watson from deep, the lane got crowded fast. Length and athleticism waited in the paint, and the Cavs had a much harder time getting clean looks inside.
That mattered most when it came to Cleveland’s frontcourt. The Cavs’ bigs combined for 29 points in the first half, then managed just 3 in the second. It was the kind of collapse that has become all too familiar for this group.
What started as a dominant night turned into another painful finish for Cleveland.
There was at least one bright spot. Mario Hezonja made his return to the NBA count, even in defeat.
He attacked a mismatch in the post, then followed that with a steal and a coast-to-coast dunk. Hezonja also gave Cleveland a lift defensively and briefly helped steady things with his scoring inside.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Already Have A Playoff Problem Brewing In The East
The first two nights of the NBA season already offered a reminder that the East may not get any easier for Cleveland. Philadelphia opened with a win over New York behind its new-look roster, Toronto handled Chicago, and Detroit rallied past Boston, all while offseason shakeups have reshaped the conference picture. For the Cavaliers, that means the early scoreboard watching carries real weight, because the teams trending up around them are the same ones that will shape the playoff race later on.
Clevelands path gets difficult fast with several of those threats looming on the schedule, and the mix of fresh star power in Philadelphia, Toronto and Miami has only sharpened the pressure. The Cavs know how tight the margins can be in the East, and the way those clubs have changed this summer suggests the race for seeding could become a problem well before spring. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Watsons Cavaliers Debut Raised An Early Concern Cleveland Cant Ignore
Peyton Watsons first game in a Cavaliers uniform came with plenty of attention, given the size of Clevelands investment and the expectation that he would fit right into a rotation built to win now. Instead, his debut against the Philadelphia 76ers left an early question hanging over what the Cavaliers are getting back from a multi-team sign-and-trade that brought him to town.
Watson put up eight points along with a few defensive flashes, but the sloppiness was impossible to miss in a loss that saw Cleveland squander a 29-point lead. His minus-19 was the worst on the team, and the turnover count stood out in a game the Cavaliers had every reason to control, which makes the debut feel less like a one-off and more like the first test of how quickly he can settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Jerome Just Gave Cavaliers Fans A Painful Reminder
Ty Jeromes early-season form in Memphis has offered a sharp little reminder of what the Cavaliers let walk out the door. After his season in Cleveland was cut short after 15 games, he has picked up right where he left off, giving the Grizzlies another productive guard and showing the kind of scoring punch and shot-making that can change a second unit in a hurry.
For Cleveland, the sting is less about one big night than the broader comparison to last seasons backup point guard situation, when Lonzo Ball struggled to provide much consistency. Jeromes success makes the decision to move on feel a little harder in hindsight, even if the Cavs had their reasons for not bringing him back, and it leaves plenty of room to wonder how different the guard rotation might look if he were still in the mix. [Read more 🡒]