Best and worst from Sixers-Cavs: Joel Embiid’s birthday explosion, Shake Milton’s struggles and more

CLEVELAND — Here is my look at some of the best and worst performances from the 76ers’ 118-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday at ROCKET Mortgage FieldHouse.

Best performance: This was an easy one due to Joel Embiid’s dominant performance on his 28th birthday. The Sixers center celebrated the day by finishing with game highs of 35 points and 17 rebounds. Embiid had 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting to go with eight rebounds in the first quarter.

Worst performance: Shake Milton gets this one in what was a brief performance. The Sixers reserve guard played just 3 minutes, 5 seconds of action. However, he was a minus-6 during that stretch. Milton didn’t attempt a shot, grab a rebound, get an assist or a steal. His only contribution was committing one foul.

Best defensive performance: Moses Brown gets this one. The Cavs reserve center finished with two steals and one block while posting a two-way performance. Brown also finished with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting.

Worst statistic: The Sixers bench had a tough time scoring. The Cavs had a 41-13 edge in bench points.

Best statistic: The Sixers were solid from the foul line. They made 24 of 28 free throws for 85.7%.

Worst of the Worst: The Sixers struggled mightily in the third quarter. They were outscored, 31-13, in the quarter. The 13 points allowed was the second lowest the Cavs have given up in any quarter this season. Cleveland ended the third quarter on a 12-0 run, holding the Sixers scoreless for the final 4:24.

» READ MORE: James Harden hasn’t proven himself yet with Sixers, but certain signs are promising

Best of the Best: The Sixers picked up a valuable road win that gives them a 3-0 series advantage over the Cavs. The win also improved the Eastern Conference’s third-place team to 42-26 and keep them three games out of first place with 14 games remaining.