How the Cleveland Cavaliers fought back for win over the Philadelphia 76ers

The Cleveland Cavaliers notched their second win in a row with a 117-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Jaylon Tyson took point for the Cavs with 39 points, a career-high for the second-year wing. Center Joel Embiid countered with a team-leading 33 points for the Sixers.

Jan 16, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball agains Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson (20) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Neither team could gain a clear advantage as things went back and forth between the two squads until about halfway through the first quarter.

While the Cavs went on a heater with eight makes on their first 11 tries, the Sixers always seemed to have an answer as they sank 10 of their first 13. Tyson showed out early with more than a third of Cleveland's first-quarter points, while Embiid got things rolling for Philly with 13 first-quarter points of his own. The two sides would end the night with 12 ties and 10 lead changes in the balanced battle.

The Sixers put the pedal to the metal with a lengthy scoring sprint to start things off in the second quarter, but a game defined by key runs saw the Cavs fight right back with a one-sided run led by some of their more youthful options.

A slower finish saw the Cavs trail by seven at the half after they erased a 10-point deficit in the same quarter. Cleveland kept coming close, but never took or kept the lead for long until an Evan Mobley dunk in the game's final seconds. The fastbreak would be one of the Sixers' biggest strengths of the night as they scored 25 fastbreak points to Cleveland's 12.

Craig Porter Jr., who last started in a January loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, took the place of Darius Garland in the starting five. Garland was sidelined with right great toe soreness. Porter Jr. held his own as the Cavs and Sixers traded blows to start things off. He would end the game with 11 assists in what would be the ninth start of his three-year career.

The Cavs claimed a much-needed victory over the Sixers on Wednesday behind a 35-point night from Donovan Mitchell and a complete performance from Mobley. The fifth-year Cavalier followed up his all-around night with a 15-point, five-rebound performance on Friday.

He and the Cavs will have one more shot to keep the momentum going and finish the regular season series sweep against the Sixers during their final matchup in March, which will follow a group of games featuring some the Eastern Conference's best squads as they enter the home stretch of their latest regular-season campaign.

The Cavs will move on to one of their biggest tests of the new year with a battle against the NBA's highest-ranked team in the Oklahoma City Thunder. Cleveland has yet to face the Western Conference juggernaut and 2025 NBA champions, but split their regular-season series with a squad that ended the regular season with a franchise-high 68 wins.

While they have hit some recent snags following a near-perfect November run, the Thunder have sparked a five-game win streak and taken down two formidable Texan foes in the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.

The Cavaliers will face the Thunder at 2:30 p.m. EST on Monday in Rocket Arena. The game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.