Sixers grades: Kelly Oubre Jr.’s efficiency, KJ Martin’s rebounding highlight upset victory over Cavs

The 76ers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 123-121, Monday night at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Here are my grades from the game:

Paul Reed showed why Sixers coach Nick Nurse was very high on him heading into the season. The undersized center blocked All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell’s shot with 1.1 seconds left to win the game. He also got things going early for the Sixers, scoring seven of the team’s first 13 points. He held his own against one-time All-Star Jarrett Allen en route to finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Mo Bamba was also solid against Cleveland. He rotated well on defense, leading to a nasty block. The reserve center was strong on offense, even posting a highlight alley-oop dunk. He finished with seven points and eight boards.

» READ MORE: Sixers GM Elton Brand is a likely candidate to run the Charlotte Hornets’ basketball operations

Kelly Oubre Jr. was efficient on the offensive end, finishing with 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting. He used his athleticism to his advantage. Nine of his points came in the fourth quarter on 3-for-4 shooting.

KJ Martin was solid on the boards in his first start as a Sixer, grabbing seven (with five coming in the first quarter). He finished with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting to go with eight rebounds while playing in place of injured standout Tobias Harris.

Ricky Council IV didn’t duplicate Saturday night’s double-double vs. the Washington Wizards, but he still made a huge impact. But it was good to see the rookie two-way player handle the Cavs’ physicality. Council had eight points on 2-for-7 shooting along with five rebounds. He made a pair of huge foul shots to give the Sixers a 122-119 lead with 10.1 seconds left.

Tyrese Maxey was a facilitator early on. The All-Star’s five assists made up for three turnovers and zero points on 0-for-1 shooting in the first quarter. But Maxey came to life in the second quarter and finished with 22 points and nine assists.

Buddy Hield is showing he can do much more than bury three-pointers. He took several Cavs off the dribble en route to layups. The shooting guard also had a season-high eight assists, after getting six in each of his first two games as a Sixer. Hield finished with 24 points, hitting 5-of-8 on threes, before fouling out late.

» READ MORE: Sixers welcome Kyle Lowry’s arrival: ‘He’s been through it’

Cameron Payne ran the offense well and didn’t turn the ball over. The backup point guard also provided his own offense. Payne finished with 15 points and four assists.

Terquavion Smith didn’t do much. The rookie two-way guard played three first-half minutes and missed two three-pointers.