CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers’ in-arena hype man saved Kevin Love for last.
As Love’s name was announced in the starting lineup, fans inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse exploded -- a mix of excitement over his return and pent-up frustration from Love’s injury-wrecked season. Love then led the pregame huddle, broke the team down and received a playful bearhug from starting point guard Darius Garland, who excitedly spoke about Love’s return earlier in the morning.
Love was back. His fifth game of the season. The first at home since Dec. 27 -- a night he grabbed his right calf and hobbled off the court toward an uncertain future. Not even Love’s return could snap Cleveland out of its current funk, losing to the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers, 114-94. That’s five losses in the last six games.
The Cavaliers’ $120 million man was sidelined for 33 straight games earlier this season. He finally returned in March following the All-Star break. But that comeback was brief, playing bits of two games before re-aggravating the calf injury and missing the following eight games. Love tried making up for lost time early on. He helped the Cavs get off to a fast start, accounting for 13 of the team’s first 15 points while splashing 3s and tossing dimes. But Love faded. And the team followed.
As usual, it started in the third quarter -- Cleveland’s Achilles heel all season. Trailing by just two points at halftime, Philadelphia outscored Cleveland, 27-17, in the third. The 76ers, playing without Joel Embiid once again, pushed that lead to 26 at one point in the second half, before cruising to their first win in the last three games. They outscored the Cavs 56-38 in the second half.
Love scored 13 points -- all in the first quarter -- on 4-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range to go with four rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes.
Collin Sexton led the way on offense, pouring in 24 points to go with three assists and three rebounds. Dean Wade, starting alongside Love, chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds. New acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein, making his second appearance since joining the team in a midseason trade from Denver, added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Philadelphia’s Shake Milton scored a game-high 27 points, leading an explosive attack that had five players reach double figures. Seth Curry scorched the nets, tallying 19 points and drilling five triples. Dwight Howard muscled his way to the basket, scoring 18 points off the bench. Tobias Harris finished with 12. Danny Green had 11.
The Cavs were hoping Love’s return, combined with Matthew Dellavedova’s season debut, would give the young team the veteran support that’s been missing sporadically throughout the year, forcing head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to shuffle lineups, using his 23rd different group on Thursday night. But Cleveland’s pair of battle-tested champions can only provide so much support.
The Cavs felt the impact without Love throughout the season. They received a reminder of how he can help in the final weeks -- if he can stay healthy.
With Love on the court Thursday night, the Cavs were competitive, only getting outscored by two points in those 20 minutes.
The other 28 minutes were the problem.
Season debut
Dellavedova hadn’t played all season because of a severe concussion and appendectomy. He checked in for the first time in nearly 13 months at the 3:55 mark of the first quarter. Dellavedova also received a nice ovation. In his first action since March 10, 2020, he helped stabilize the second unit, organize the team’s offense and helped lead the pass-first, team-oriented approach. As usual, Dellavedova, a fan favorite, brought the energy, diving on the floor for loose balls and tussling with a few opponents.
While he failed to score, Dellavedova contributed five assists in 16 minutes.
Back in the rotation
After two straight DNPs, Cedi Osman was summoned off the bench midway through the first quarter. Back in Bickerstaff’s good graces, Osman scored six points.
Up next
The Cavs will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday night against the Miami Heat. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
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New Cavs face masks for sale: Here’s where you can buy Cleveland Cavaliers-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All NBA proceeds donated to charity.
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