Mitchell Leads Cavs Past 76ers in NBA Cup

Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points with eight assists and seven rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 in NBA Cup group play Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Associated Press reported. Evan Mobley added 22, and Cleveland bounced back after two losses to Oklahoma City.

LeBron James returned to Cleveland in a 76ers uniform and finished with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, including 0-for-4 from three, in about 31 minutes. It was only the 10th single-digit scoring game of his regular-season career. The night was about the Cavs’ response, not the guestbook.

Mitchell Ran the Show

Mitchell played 33 minutes and filled the box score the way Cleveland needs him to in Cup games, where point differential is a tiebreaker. Mobley’s alley-oop dunk helped push the lead to 46-30 early in the second quarter, and the Cavs’ biggest cushion reached 25 in the fourth. Jarrett Allen sat with a bruised right knee, and Cleveland still won the glass by 14.

Philadelphia fell to 8-2 and shot 36.5 percent from the field, including 10-of-40 from three. James Harden scored 17 for the 76ers.

LeBron’s Quiet Return

James heard a mix of boos when he touched the ball in the first half and checked out with 3:54 left. The Akron native signed with Philadelphia in the offseason instead of a third Cleveland stint, and the Cavs treated it like any other Cup home game once the lead stretched.

Cleveland improved to 5-4 overall and stayed sharp on the glass without Allen. The supporting pieces around Mitchell and Mobley were enough to keep the 76ers from mounting a late push.

The Cavs never let the LeBron subplot turn into a distraction once the lead hit double digits. Mitchell kept finding Mobley and the weak-side shooters, and Cleveland treated the Cup group stage like a measuring stick after the OKC skid.

Mitchell’s eight assists were the quiet killer. Cleveland kept getting downhill after the catch, and Philadelphia never found a second wind once the deficit hit 20.

Cavs Host Knicks Next

Cleveland hosts the New York Knicks on Saturday. Philadelphia goes to Chicago on Sunday. Mitchell’s playmaking volume is the cleanest read after an eight-assist night.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Donovan Mitchell assists against the Knicks. He had eight in 33 minutes Friday while running Cup group play. If Cleveland sits him for rest against New York, pivot to Evan Mobley points, since Mobley had 22 and finished as the second option with Allen out.