Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson (20) passes to center Evan Mobley (4) past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in the final seconds. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Jaylon Tyson's heroics lead Cavaliers to road win over 76ers

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 10:00 PM ET

An unlikely hero led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson entered Friday's contest averaging just 12.8 points per game. But in 38 minutes, he had a career-high 39 points and dished out the game-winning assist — his fourth of the evening — to Evan Mobley, who put down a two-hand slam with 4.8 seconds to go to put Cleveland up 117-115.

A missed heave from Tyrese Maxey sealed the win for the Cavs.

More on Jaylon Tyson's career game

While it was an impressive pass for Tyson that ended up being the difference in the game, his incredible shooting effort made sure Cleveland had a chance to win in the first place.

JAYLON TYSON FINDS EVAN MOBLEY FOR THE GAME-WINNER

CAVS COMPLETE THE COMEBACK AND WIN IN PHILLY! pic.twitter.com/vpDomPl9vp
— NBA (@NBA) January 17, 2026

No other Cavalier scored more than 16 points. Superstar guard Donovan Mitchell had only 13 points on 4-13 shooting from the field and shot only two free throws.

On a night where his teammates struggled, Tyson put the Cavs on his back, scoring his 39 points on 13-17 shooting from the field — including an incredible 7-9 mark from beyond the arc — and 6-6 from the four line.

Jaylon Tyson is an absolute BALLER:

39 POINTS
5 REBOUNDS
4 ASSISTS
13/17 FG
7/9 3P

. (via @realapp) pic.twitter.com/8746b2byPb
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 17, 2026

Tyson's efficiency was exactly what Cleveland needed on Friday, and it ended up being the driving factor in the Cavaliers scoring a huge road win.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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