Jaylon Tyson Torches Sixers as Cavaliers Rally Late in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA - With just under nine minutes to go, the Philadelphia 76ers looked like they had this one under control. Up 100-89 at home against a Cleveland Cavaliers squad missing Darius Garland and getting very little from Donovan Mitchell, the Sixers were in prime position to close out a much-needed win.
But that’s when Jaylon Tyson decided it was his time.
The second-year guard put on a jaw-dropping performance, erupting for 39 points on a blistering 13-of-17 shooting night, including 7-of-9 from three. And when the game hung in the balance, it was Tyson again - this time finding Evan Mobley for a go-ahead dunk with 4.8 seconds left - that sealed a stunning 117-115 comeback win for Cleveland.
Let’s be clear: this was Tyson’s night. The Sixers had no answer for him, and he made them pay every time they gave him an inch.
“Obviously, we were super focused on Mitchell,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said postgame. “He made every three he took - and some tough floaters, too - but Tyson just kept making every play. He played really well.”
The Sixers came in with a clear defensive adjustment after Mitchell torched them for 35 points in Wednesday’s matchup. That plan worked - at least on paper.
Mitchell finished with just 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting. He knocked down four of his seven threes, but missed all six of his two-point attempts.
That’s a win for Philly’s defense.
But in zeroing in on Mitchell, they left the door open for someone else to step up - and Tyson kicked it wide open.
“We kind of treated tonight like a playoff game,” said Tyrese Maxey. “Last game was Game 1, and tonight was Game 2.
Sometimes in the playoffs, you say, ‘This guy can’t beat us tonight,’ and that’s what we did with Mitchell. But [Tyson] did.
He made shots, played really well.”
Tyson came into the night shooting 45.8% from deep on just over four attempts per game - already an impressive clip - and he only raised that number with his performance in Philly. Maxey joked that Tyson’s percentage “has gotta be at least 48 now,” and while he might be off by a bit, the impact was no exaggeration. Tyson scored eight points in the fourth quarter and led the Cavs’ charge when it mattered most.
The Sixers, meanwhile, unraveled down the stretch. A handful of costly possessions - including turnovers, an offensive foul, and a rushed shot - gave Cleveland transition opportunities they didn’t waste.
“We had a couple really big offensive possessions where we turned it over,” Nurse said. “That led to quick baskets for them.
We had an offensive foul, Mitchell had a steal, and then we took a really poor shot that started a break. Just not scoring enough to get our defense set up.
We were kind of in scramble mode.”
That scramble cost them. What looked like a comfortable win turned into a gut-punch loss. The Sixers will try to regroup quickly - they host the Indiana Pacers on Monday, looking to avoid back-to-back home losses.
But if there’s one takeaway from this one, it’s this: in the NBA, even a well-executed game plan can come undone when an unexpected name gets hot. And on this night, Jaylon Tyson didn’t just get hot - he torched the Sixers.