The Philadelphia 76ers (32-21) faced the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-17) in their final road game before the All-Star break. In one of their very best Joel Embiid-less performances of the season, the Sixers held on and stole a win against one of the hottest teams in the NBA by a score of 123-121.

Let’s break down one of the Sixers' best wins of the season.

76ers player notes:

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 9-21 FG shooting

Maxey was incredible for the Sixers, hitting a wide range of shots and keeping the ball moving for eight assists in the first half. The Cavs playing drop coverage was obvious given their rim protectors but it gave Maxey enough room to attack downhill. When he didn’t do that or take a three, he kept it simple, making his attempts from the mid-range much cleaner rather than trying for an off-balance floater/layup.

Buddy Hield: 24 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 9-13 FG shooting

Hield's impact on Maxey (and vice versa) was seen instantly in their first game together. In their second, Hield continued to shoot very well and bail the 76ers out of moments of stagnant offense. The way he relocates around the arc and gets right into dribble handoffs is a source of instant offense that Philly benefits immensely from. Ditto for his feel for his own gravity and where a teammate will subsequently be open.

Cavs player notes

Donovan Mitchell: 36 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 9-20 FG shooting

Mitchell gave Philly a ton of problems, shooting the ball very well, especially from deep and at the foul line. Cleveland got lots of key performances from its starting lineup, overcoming a night from its bench that wasn’t worth writing home about. Mitchell's creativity with the ball was the driving force behind the Cavs.

Game recap:

1st half

Fresh off of a win against the lowly Washington Wizards spurred by a surprisingly huge game from Ricky Council IV, the 76ers instantly ramped up the difficulty by facing the Cavs, a sensational defensive squad that has won a league-best nine games over their last 10. Kyle Lowry is on his way but Philly remained woefully undermanned in this one. Tobias Harris joined the list of the usual inactive players, giving KJ Martin his first start of the season, while Mo Bamba returned.

The Sixers started things nicely with a shot-clock violation. Martin did the heavy lifting by locking down Mobley in isolation. The Cavs eventually got going by targeting Maxey, whether he was matched up with Darius Garland or Mitchell. Most of Philly's first shots came right at the hoop with Hield, Oubre and Paul Reed displaying splendid touch in the territory of Cleveland's giants.

Council made his way into the game later in the first quarter along with Bamba. Payne had already checked in by that point, making for a small lineup where Council was the second-biggest guy for a few minutes. Hield nailed back-to-back threes to give the Sixers a lead, showcasing his ability to manufacture a good shot when one of his teammates is stuck with the ball. Bamba gave Philly some strong minutes on defense. 12 minutes in, the Sixers hung with the Cavs thanks to shooting 10-12 in the paint.

Maxey torched old friend Georges Niang for an and-one layup to help the 76ers jump put to a 9-0 run in the opening minutes of the second quarter. The 76ers just continued to score at will in the paint. A putback slam from Oubre, a tough floater from Council, an off-the-glass hook shot from Reed, a drawn foul from Payne — one of the best defensive teams in the league had nothing for this scrappy Sixers squad.

Terquavion Smith entered the game, playing in a rare three-point-guard lineup with Maxey and Payne. It only lasted a few minutes but it made for a very funky, intriguing fit. Martin did a heck of a job scoring at the rim as the shooters around him launched threes. Maxey and Martin linked up for a long alley-oop as the Sixers ran the Cavs ragged on offense. They did more than just live off of easy chances in transition.

The 76ers didn’t have an answer for the Cavs' offense. Mitchell was balling out and his gravity opened up space for other teammates to score. Jarrett Allen and Garland were very productive, too, as Cleveland shot 54.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from deep. But Philly brought the fight right to Cleveland in one of the very best halves the team has played without Embiid this season.

At the half, the 76ers led 66-62.

2nd half

Hied connected with Reed as the Cavs jumped out to guard the sharpshooter, leaving Reed with room to get up a clean shot, even with the Cleveland bigs there to contest it. Whatever halftime adjustments the home squad made did not matter in the opening minutes, as Philly hunkered down on defense and shot right out into the fast break, pushing the lead back up to nine.

Garland started to warm up after a timeout, helping the Cavs retake the lead in the blink of an eye. They picked up the intensity and took advantage of the fast break more. Never lacking a strong lob threat or shooters on the color, the 76ers had to pick their poison and live with some tough rotation choices. Hield and Martin got into foul troubles, each tallying their fourth infraction in the third quarter.

The Sixers had to roll with Oubre and Council guarding Mitchell, giving the Cavs guard a favorable matchup. Although he could get by them with a drive and a pump-fake-into-step-around moves, he wasn’t always able to score. The other Sixers did a nice job rebounding as a group, even though those efforts unraveled a bit as the third quarter went on. They were playing very well but they weren’t out of the woods yet — not even close.

Back and forth went the two teams as the fourth quarter got underway. Council displayed the maturity of his game by pump-faking Mobley and hitting a layup through a foul. Garland's dexterity on layups and precise playmaking got the Cavs going. The scoreboard never displayed a lead bigger than three in the opening minutes of the quarter.

The Cavs went cold for a stretch, allowing the Sixers to go ahead. A step-back from Oubre, a Hield dish into a Bamba slam and a tough layup from Hield put Philly ahead. Oubre had been huge all game but came up really clutch in the second half, working his way to 21 points on 9-13 shooting before a Cavs timeout with 5:40 remaining.

Hield uncorked a pair of off-the-dribble threes from straight ahead to seize momentum for the Sixers. He and Maxey made things interesting after getting called for their respective fifth fouls with several minutes left. Maxey then sized up for a middie and drained it after drawing the switch onto Max Strus. Oubre pulled up early in the shot clock with time winding down, providing a “No! No! Yes!” sequence when he made the shot and blew a kiss to the Cleveland bench.

Mitchell stole an inbound pass and drew the sixth foul on Hield, hitting the freebie to make it a four-point ballgame. After a Sixers shot-clock violation, the Cavs missed a three, got the rebound, missed another one, got another rebound and then got a three to all, courtesy of No. 45. Council, unable to shake away the allure of the open room in front of him to drive, took it at Allen and drew a foul. He hit both.

Council then fouled Mitchell on the floor to prevent an attempt from Cleveland to tie it up. Mitchell hit both foul shots. Maxey was fouled on the inbound but missed one of his freebies. On the next possession, Reed blocked Mitchell on a drive and Garland missed the second opportunity. The Sixers held on for an impressive victory.

Random tidbits:

  • I get that Bamba may not have a major role on his Sixers team but I found it somewhat funny that the Cavs played a song during warm-ups that’s named after one of their opponents.

The 76ers' final game before the break is on Wednesday back at home against the Miami Heat.