Sixers Fall in Cleveland, MCW Exits With Injury

By Max Rappaport, Sixers.com

CLEVELAND –– Brett Brown said before this season began that he would evaluate his young team not by its place in the standings but by the development of its players, its commitment to the defensive end of the floor, and to the energy it plays with every night. After Monday night’s 97-84 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sixers’ 2014-15 record fell to 10-39, and although the team lost both its games on a short, Atlanta-Cleveland road trip, Brown had nothing but good things to say about his group, and rightfully so.

The Hawks and Cavaliers are the league’s two hottest teams, with Atlanta coming off the first 17-0 January in league history, and the Cavaliers now winners of 11 straight games. But in both contests, the Sixers battled from 20 points down on the road, taking a two-point lead with 2:51 left to play before falling 91-85 in Atlanta and pulling to within three with 3:48 left in Cleveland before being outscored 11-1 from that point on. That his team continued to fight despite being overmatched and down big on the road is what gives Brown hope.

“It’s the fifth game in a row that we’ve held someone under 100 points… and I’m proud of the defensive improvement our team has made,” he said after the game. “And the new thing that’s coming in is we’re actually making threes. We shoot them freely, but we need them, because we’ve been so challenged offensively. So the combination of our defense and making some threes enabled us to get back in the game.”

But it wasn’t just his team’s resolve that impressed Brown. The play of several of a handful of young players, one a second-round pick and the other two undrafted, also stood out.

The Sixers were led by rookie Jerami Grant, who scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from downtown to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists. The 39th-overall pick in 2014, he entered the league with a raw skillset and boundless athleticism. Since making his NBA debut on November 29, the 6’8” forward has shown vast improvement in a number of areas, most noticeably his three-point shot

In his sophomore season at Syracuse, Grant attempted just five three-pointers and didn’t convert a single one, and in his first 20 games as a Sixer, he went 4-for-21 (19.1%) from distance. But in the 14 games since, he’s been nearly automatic from beyond the arc. He’s made 20 of the 36 threes he’s attempted since January 10, good for a gaudy 55.6% conversion rate. And while it would be foolish to think that Grant will be able to continue to hit at that clip indefinitely, the stretch highlights the marked improvements he’s made to his perimeter game and provides hope for his future as a member of the team.

“His versatility, where he can defend multiple positions, he’s shown the ability to drive and finish with authority with dunks, he’s shown the ability to rebound and lead a break with kick-aheads, and now he’s able to pick-and-pop and hit threes,” said Brown. “Defense and offense, his growth is rapid and right in front of all of our eyes, and he’s just really blossomed lately, especially.”

Fellow rookie JaKarr Sampson had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting (2/2 3P) in his return to his hometown. The undrafted swingman has started each of the team’s last four games and has seen minutes at both wing positions as well as power forward and even point guard in his brief NBA career. Sophomore wing Robert Covington contributed 18 points on 6-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-8 from deep to go along with four assists, three rebounds, and a career-high seven steals.

The Cavaliers were led by Kyrie Irving, who scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with five assists and five rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points (6/17 FG) and 11 assists, Kevin Love pulled down 15 boards to go along with five points (1/7 FG), and Matthew Dellavedova scored 12 off the bench on 4-for-7 from the floor.

Doing It Without Mike

The Sixers’ comeback effort was made more impressive by the fact that a right shin contusion suffered on Saturday in Atlanta forced starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams to leave the game at the 7:31 mark of the third quarter. He didn’t return, leaving 10-day signee Larry Drew II and rookie swingman JaKarr Sampson to man the position the rest of the way. Carter-Williams’ status for Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets has not yet been determined.