Philadelphia, Feb. 16 (US): Joel Embiid scored 29 points including the 10,000th of his career, and the Philadelphia 76ers survived a tough second inning to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-112 on Wednesday night.
After watching a 28-point lead in the second half melt to four with 90 seconds left, the Sixers pulled it away by making 13 consecutive free throws, the Associated Press reports.
“This is a very good team that will give trouble to other teams,” Embiid said. “Obviously we knew they were going to run. But they stopped when we needed to.”
James Harden added 19 points and 12 assists to help send the 76ers to the All-Star break with their fourth consecutive win. DeAntoni Melton added 18 points and Therese Maxi added 16 points.
“Winning that match despite the adversity was good for us,” Maxi said.
Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, including 25 in the second half for the Cavaliers. They have won seven in a row. Darius Garland added 27 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley added 23.
“We let them put a little doubt in our minds early on, but we figured it out,” Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff said.
After the game, Embiid slated to be a starter in the Utah State All-Star Game Sunday night indicated that he may sit out the game due to left foot soreness that has been officially identified in the Sixers injury report since the club’s trip to the West Coast in late December.
Embiid said doctors told him that getting off his feet was necessary to prevent the injury from getting worse.
“I was trying to get a breakout all-star without missing a game,” Embiid said. “But I think I may have reached the point where I need to follow the doctors’ advice. We’ll see how the next few days go.”
Embiid crossed the 10,000-point mark early in the first quarter. He accomplished the feat in his 373rd career game which is the fastest in franchise history ahead of Allen Iverson’s 378.
“I can only think what if I didn’t miss all these matches, but that’s not where the focus is,” Embiid said. “I just focus on what I can do to help the team. Whether it’s scoring a lot, passing, defensively – then I’m going to do it.”
Philadelphia hit the first six three-pointers and 11 of 14 shots from the floor to jump out to a 31-10 lead. The Sixers drove by 28 early in the second half.
Cleveland recovered in the second half, in part due to his ability to move the ball and force turnovers. The Cavs forced 9 turnovers in the second half, turning it into 20 points while turning the ball over only once.
“They did a great job physically from our stuff,” Bickerstaff said. “They were aggressive on both ends of the floor and it took us a long time to recover from that first punch. We showed what we’re capable of in the second half with 17 assists and just one spin.”
Tip-ins
Cavaliers: Danny Green returned to the Cavaliers lineup on Wednesday night, scoring three points in nearly 12 minutes. Green, who played three games for Memphis this season before being traded to Houston and ultimately waived, was drafted by the Cavs in 2009. Bickerstaff noted that Green’s role would be a huge mentor to a young lineup rather than being on the floor. “We know his game is his ability to shoot and defend, but our group needs the most information,” Bickerstaff said. … Ricky Rubio has been inactive for Cleveland with a non-COVID illness.
76 PLAYER: Philadelphia forward PJ Tucker is back in the starting lineup after leaving Monday’s game against Houston with right calf tightness.
the next
Cavaliers: Host Denver on February 23.
76ers: Hosts Memphis on Feb. 23.
Rial