How the Cleveland Cavaliers earned a much-needed win over the Philadelphia 76ers

The Cleveland Cavaliers walked away from an all-important road matchup with a 133-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Guard Donovan Mitchell followed up a 46-point performance in Cleveland's last win over Philly with 35 points in the Wednesday-night win. Sixers center Joel Embiid led the squad with 20 points on a 50% clip from the floor.

Darius Garland set the tone early with a quick strike from the 3-point line. An early back-and-forth battle between the two sides, which only saw one missed shot and free throw in the first two minutes, would ultimately be won by Cleveland as the Cavs set up a more consistent pace inside.

Their hot streak turned ice cold with only a few minutes left in the quarter, but it was still enough to push them to a 15-point lead by the quarter's end. Cleveland would end the night with 48 points in the paint compared to Philly's 32 and 19 second-chance points to the Sixers' 16.

The Sixers nearly caught up with the Cavs as they stormed back behind the efforts of their experienced trio. Cleveland's own stars kept the tide from completely turning in Philly's favor. They all but erased the 76ers' progress as the Cavs ended the half with a 13-point lead.

The Cavs kept their foot on the gas as their starting backcourt showed out in the third quarter. Mitchell would hit six of his 10 tries from the floor in the third. Garland has scored 20 points or more in four of his last five games, while Mitchell would score 20 points in the third quarter alone. Unfortunately, Garland injured his right foot and is doubtful for the next game.

Jan. 14, 2026; Cleveland Cavaliers v. Philadelphia 76ers. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images — Jan 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Sixers still have nearly matched their win total from last season as they started to get the ball rolling again following an up-and-down start to their 2025-26 campaign.

They used a 3-point barrage to end a split series against the Toronto Raptors on a high note with a 115-102 victory on Monday. The Sixers fell far short of matching the early bombardment of 3-pointers that guided them to a divisional win in the loss to Cleveland. They hit just 12 of their 43 shots from long range against a Cavs defense that entered the night with the league's worst opponent 3-point percentage.

The Cavs needed a reason to lift their spirits after a demoralizing loss to the Utah Jazz, which saw them lose the battle on the boards by a 50-30 difference.

The Cavs entered the night with a record of 5-5 over their last 10 games and sandwiched between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will face the Magic during a home-and-home series later this month, but will need to take on the NBA's highest-ranked squad in the Oklahoma City Thunder before then.

The Cavs leave Wednesday's matchup with a 3-7 record against Atlantic Division opponents despite defeating the 76ers in early November, a complete turnaround from their 16-3 record just last season.

The Cavs will stick around in Philly for one more matchup against the 76ers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday in Xfinity Mobile Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio.