CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 27: Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers plays against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 27, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Magic 105-92.(Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated a depleted Philadelphia 76ers team 114-106 Wednesday, improving to 13-0 in an astounding start to the 2024-25 season. It is the best start to an NBA season since the Golden State Warriors’ mythical 24-0 run in 2015.
Throughout this torrid stretch, the Cavs have relied heavily on guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, and both star players delivered yet again with stellar performances against Philadelphia. Garland led the team with 25 points, while Mitchell put up 23 with 13 rebounds and 9 assists.
The 76ers, who had to compete with Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, would have been completely hopeless if not for a massive effort from rookie Jared McCain. The 20-year-old guard scored 34 points with 10 assists, but Cleveland still managed to wear down its shorthanded opponent and marched to an eight-point win.
The Cavaliers were not on many people’s radars as a serious championship contender before the season, but the results are becoming hard to deny. They have picked apart a weak Eastern Conference to this point, winning over the Knicks, Bucks and Magic, all playoff teams last season.
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Cleveland’s most dominant victory this season was also against its toughest opponent, when the team took a 41-point lead at the half against the Warriors and cruised home in a 136-117 blowout on Nov. 8. The Cavs have not yet been tested against the Celtics, the defending NBA Champions who knocked them out of the playoffs last year, but that hurdle is coming up in a game on Nov. 19.
“We’re just sticking together,” Garland said after the game Wednesday, according to ESPN. “Just taking it game by game. We know we’ve got a target on our back, so we’ve got to come in with that aggressiveness and that confidence that we’re going to win every game, and that’s what we’ve been doing. Even though like I said, long nights, not a lot of sleep, but we’ve got to stay together and just continue just to be great. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
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