Sixers-Cavs by the numbers: Pressure, threes and a 29-point rematch

Sixers-Cavs by the numbers: Pressure, threes and a 29-point rematch originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers and Cavaliers have already played one game that looked like two.

Cleveland led by 29 points during the Sixers’ home opener on Oct. 22 and carried a 69-45 advantage into halftime. Philadelphia responded by winning the second half, 69-37, and completing a 114-106 comeback.

It was the Sixers’ largest comeback since the NBA began maintaining detailed play-by-play data in 1997-98. Only nine other teams during that span had overcome a deficit of at least 29 points.

Fifteen days later, the teams will meet again Friday night at Rocket Arena. This time, the matchup counts toward the NBA Cup standings.

The 8-1 Sixers have won five consecutive games and opened group play with a 98-93 victory over the Knicks. The 4-4 Cavs have dropped two straight and will make their Cup debut.

Here are five numbers that help frame the rematch.

29: The deficit Cleveland has not forgotten

Philadelphia’s comeback required more than a hot shooting stretch.

The Sixers committed 15 turnovers in the first half, allowing Cleveland to build a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Their pressure then changed the game after halftime.

The Cavs committed 21 turnovers by the end of the night. What had been a 16-point Cleveland advantage in points off turnovers finished even at 22 apiece.

“They upped their pressure and physicality,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game. “It was pretty clear. We did not handle it well.”

The Sixers scored 64 of their 69 second-half points through their starting lineup. Tyrese Maxey finished with 28 points, and Philadelphia turned a game that appeared finished into a franchise-record comeback.

12.9: Philadelphia’s turnover rate

The first half of the opening meeting now looks like an exception.

The Sixers have committed 12.9 turnovers per 100 possessions this season, the NBA’s second-lowest rate. They are also third in turnover differential, averaging 3.4 fewer giveaways than their opponents.

That is notable for a team that entered the season intending to play faster. Philadelphia has pushed the ball without routinely surrendering possessions.

LeBron James’ presence as the primary facilitator has helped. So has Maxey’s willingness to move the ball when defenses trap him. Joel Embiid has averaged 5.2 assists, third among qualified centers, and the Sixers have increasingly trusted VJ Edgecombe to make decisions late in games.

Cleveland’s defense has not forced many mistakes. The Cavs enter Friday near the bottom of the league in opponent turnover rate.

The first meeting swung when the Sixers stopped giving away possessions and forced Cleveland into mistakes of its own.

2 versus 9: An early strength-on-strength matchup

The Sixers have allowed 105.1 points per 100 possessions, the NBA’s second-best defensive rating. Cleveland enters with the league’s ninth-ranked offense.

The Cavs are the only top-10 offense the Sixers have faced through their first nine games.

Philadelphia has held opponents to a 50 percent effective field-goal percentage and 31.8 percent shooting from three-point range. Its defensive shot profile has been encouraging, too. Only 46 percent of opposing three-point attempts have been classified as wide open, the fifth-lowest share in the league, and opponents have taken just 22 percent of their threes from the corners.

There is reason for caution. Based on the quality of shots Philadelphia has allowed, only Washington’s opponents have underperformed their expected effective field-goal percentage by a wider margin. The Sixers have defended well, but opponents are unlikely to remain this cold indefinitely.

Cleveland, with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley, can test whether those numbers hold against high-level individual shot creation.

42: Cleveland’s three-point volume

The Cavs have attempted exactly 42 three-pointers per game and made 37.2 percent of them.

That makes the first meeting stand out.

Cleveland went 7 for 29 from beyond the arc in Philadelphia. Mitchell, Harden and De’Andre Hunter combined to shoot 3 for 17. The Cavs scored 60 points in the paint and still reached 106, but their 24.1 percent performance from three prevented them from stopping the Sixers’ comeback.

Friday’s game could look considerably different if Cleveland generates its normal volume.

The Sixers have controlled the three-point line well so far, but Mitchell is coming off a 27-point performance against Oklahoma City and scored 32 in the first meeting with Philadelphia. Harden added 16 points that night, although his six turnovers became costly as the Sixers increased their pressure.

Minus-5.1: The Sixers’ rebounding differential

Philadelphia has been outrebounded by 5.1 per game. The Cavs rank sixth with 47.5 rebounds per contest.

The Sixers have already shown they can survive a major deficit on the glass. They beat Milwaukee by 11 despite getting outrebounded by 22. That is not a formula they will want to test regularly against Cleveland’s size.

Mobley had 18 points and eight rebounds in the first meeting. Jarrett Allen added 14 points and seven boards, helping Cleveland win the rebounding battle, 46-44.

Whether Allen plays Friday remains uncertain.

Cleveland listed Allen as questionable because of a right knee injury after he left Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City in the first quarter. Allen collided knee-to-knee with Thunder forward Chet Holmgren and did not return.

The Cavs also listed Peyton Watson as questionable with right hamstring soreness and Tyrese Proctor as questionable with an ankle injury. Proctor left Wednesday’s game during the fourth quarter. Jaylon Tyson is out with a right ankle sprain.

Allen’s availability could significantly alter the matchup on the glass. If he sits, Thomas Bryant would likely handle more of the center minutes behind Mobley. If he plays, Cleveland will have the same starting frontcourt that outrebounded the Sixers during the first meeting.

Atkinson has emphasized the possession battle during Cleveland’s two-game slide.

“You’ve got to get more shots than the other team,” he said this week. “Rebounding is a big part of it.”

That also carries added importance in the NBA Cup, where point differential is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.

Philadelphia enters Friday at 1-0 with a plus-five differential in East Group B. Miami is also 1-0 at plus-20, while Cleveland is playing its first group game.

The Sixers already know they can erase 29 points against the Cavs. A cleaner start would be far more useful than proving it twice.