Cavaliers 127, Sixers 125 (2OT)

Cavaliers 127, Sixers 125 (2OT)

THE FACT: All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving made a driving layup with 0.6 seconds left in double-overtime to keep the Cavaliers unbeaten at home.
THE LEAD: Irving scored a season-high 39 points and tied his career best with 12 assists in leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 127-125 double-OT victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Shooting guard Dion Waiters added a season-high 24 points for Cleveland, while power forward Tristan Thompson collected 19 points and 10 rebounds. Philadelphia small forward Evan Turner scored a career-best 31 points with 10 boards, power forward Thaddeus Young had 29 points, and rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams amassed 21 points and a season-high 13 assists.
QUOTABLE: "Kyrie (Irving) is just incredibly elusive and skilled. You really can't corral him and keep in front of him. He is such an unusual player to guard, you don't see too many like him in the NBA. Kevin Durant is one of the few other ones."
-- 76ers coach Brett Brown
THE STAT: Irving had three opportunities to win the game, but missed shots in the paint at the end of regulation and at the first-OT buzzer. The third-year pro made his third chance count by driving down the lane against Carter-Williams before scoring over 76ers center Spencer Hawes. "I was shocked he needed three (tries) because I thought each time, he took the right shot," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "I applaud him for trying to close the game the right way. He's a spectacular player."
TURNING POINT: Turner buried a pull-up jumper at the end of the third quarter to give the 76ers their largest lead at 85-75, but Cleveland outscored them 32-22 in the fourth. Philadelphia later forced OT when Young scored on a drive with 11 seconds left to make it 107-107. The 76ers then extended the game to a second extra period when Turner lofted up a layup over Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao with nine ticks remaining to even the score at 116-116.
QUOTABLE II: "The 76ers did a great job of crowding the paint the first two times I tried to win the game. The third time, they came for a double-team, so I attacked Michael Carter-Williams because they didn't have any shot blockers in the paint."
-- Cavaliers point guard Irving
HOT: The Cavaliers' three-guard rotation of Irving, Waiters, and Jarrett Jack combined for 83 points and 23 assists -- and were on the court together throughout both overtime periods. ... Cleveland small forward Alonzo Gee made his first start of the season. ... The 76ers have won nine of their last 11 games against the Cavaliers. ... Turner also set career highs in free throws made (11) and attempted (13). ... Carter-Williams went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers, including a 25-footer in Irving's face that knotted the score at 125-125 with 11.3 seconds left in double-OT.
NOT: Cavaliers small forward Earl Clark started the first six games, but was benched in favor of Gee just before tipoff. ... Cleveland did not attempt a free throw in the first 19:01. ... Center Tyler Zeller was the Cavaliers' first player off the bench, but played two scoreless minutes and did not return. ... Cleveland power forward Anthony Bennett -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft -- missed all only shot, making him 1-for-21 as a professional. ... 76ers backup point guard Tony Wroten scored four points and two turnovers in 16 minutes.
QUOTABLE III: "It was definitely a fun game. Everybody played pretty well on both teams and the crowd was really into it. We just didn't (make) a couple of tough plays at the end that we needed to in order to win."

-- 76ers point guard Carter-Williams
GOOD MOVE: Cavaliers coach Brown essentially only used five players over the final 19 minutes, using Varejao and Thompson with his three-guard front. "I felt like it was the right time to experiment," Brown explained. Waiters welcomed the chance to play with Irving and Jack, saying, "All three of us can pretty much do everything. Jack and Ky and I can dribble, penetrate, and find the open man. Having trust in one another is the biggest thing."
BAD MOVE: The Cavaliers opted to play center Andrew Bynum in Philadelphia on Friday, making him unavailable for the second half of the teams' home-and-home set Saturday in Cleveland. The 7-footer is still recovering from arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees in March, but has appeared in five of the Cavaliers' first seven games. Bynum is averaging 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench, but Brown said he hopes to start him later this season.
NOTABLE: The 252 points scored were the second-highest total in Quicken Loans Arena history. The building -- then known as Gund Arena -- opened at the start of the 1994-1995 season. "That was a great NBA game," Brett Brown said. "The only negative is that we lost. I told our guys how proud I am of them because they continued to fight and find any way possible to win." ... The 76ers only dressed 11 players as centers Nerlens Noel (left knee surgery), Kwame Brown (right hamstring strain) and Daniel Orton (right knee soreness), and power forward Arnett Moultrie (left ankle surgery) are sidelined.
UP NEXT: For the 76ers, Monday vs. San Antonio, Wednesday vs. Houston, Friday @ Atlanta. For the Cavaliers, Monday @ Chicago, Wednesday @ Minnesota, Friday vs. Charlotte.