Sixers build big lead, then hold off Cavaliers’ comeback in 118-112 win

Confetti unexpectedly began trickling down from the Wells Fargo Center rafters during the third quarter of Wednesday’s matchup between the 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Perhaps its premature release symbolized the state of the venue’s professional basketball team. On their final night before the All-Star break, the Sixers unleashed a dominant first half but needed to hold off the Cavaliers’ furious late charge to secure a 118-112 victory.

“The clock ran out,” coach Doc Rivers said of how the Sixers closed out the win. “We played great in the first half — probably couldn’t have played any better. Second half, I think All-Star break started. I loved how we came out. I thought we had the right intentions, and we just couldn’t sustain it. That’s something we have to do better.”

It was an enticing clash of teams that entered Wednesday separated by one game in the Eastern Conference standings, but quickly descended into a blowout before the Cavaliers’ rally created a much dicier-than-anticipated finish for the Sixers. Nevertheless, the Sixers (38-19) enter the break as winners of six of their last eight games and in third place in the conference, while the loss snapped the Cavaliers’ seven-game winning streak.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey hopes rediscovering ‘spirit’ leads to strong stretch run with Sixers’ second unit

The Sixers led by 21 points just over seven minutes into the game, and by as many as 28 just before halftime after holding Cleveland to 35.9% shooting.

Yet the Cavaliers (38-23) outscored the Sixers, 32-24, in the third quarter, including three free throws by Donovan Mitchell that sliced the gap to 80-68 with 1:43 left in the period. The Sixers’ Jalen McDaniels then followed a Tyrese Maxey layup with a tip-in, and Maxey hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer to push that advantage back to 87-70 entering the final frame.

After a Shake Milton three-pointer and a Maxey fadeaway jumper to open the fourth extended the advantage to 22 points, Cleveland answered with a 38-20 surge to get within 112-108 on a Jarrett Allen follow with 1:30 remaining in the game. But Cleveland forward Evan Mobley missed a shot inside that would have cut the Sixers’ advantage to two points, before Harden drew a foul and went 2-of-2 from the free throw line with 41 seconds to go and D’Anthony Melton added four more free throws in the game’s final 27 seconds.

“People always say basketball is a game of runs,” Maxey said. “At the end of the day, they’ve got really good talent over there, so they were eventually going to start making some shots and make some adjustments.

“But to be resilient and actually win that game when the adversity was [against us], it was good for us.”

All five Sixers starters finished in double figures, led by Joel Embiid’s 29 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists and Harden’s 19 points and 12 assists. Melton added 17 points, Tobias Harris finished with 13, and P.J. Tucker had 10. Maxey totaled 16 points off the bench.

The Sixers will return from the break with 25 regular-season games remaining, starting with a Feb. 23 matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies before a high-profile home showdown against the East-leading Boston Celtics two nights later.

» READ MORE: NBA veteran Danny Green is back in Philly, and back with the Cavaliers

Embiid reached another career milestone during Wednesday’s first quarter, hitting 10,000 career points on a layup through contact.

He became the fastest player in franchise history to reach that mark (373 games), surpassing Allen Iverson. Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain began his career with the Philadelphia Warriors.

“That’s impressive, especially at the position that he’s playing at,” Rivers said. “Because he needs the ball given to him for him to score. Guards have the ball. They can score whenever they want to. That just tells you how dominant Joel has been.”

When the milestone was announced during a timeout, Embiid was serenaded with “M-V-P!’ chants. And the timing was fitting, as Embiid will make his sixth consecutive All-Star appearance this weekend in Salt Lake City.

“I can only think, ‘What if I didn’t miss all these games [with early-career injuries]?’” Embiid said. “I guess it’s a good thing, but that’s not where the focus is. I just focus about what I can do to help the team.”

Embiid initially outplayed the Cavaliers’ talented-yet-youthful frontcourt, before Mobley (23 points, nine rebounds) was a significant part of the Cavaliers’ comeback attempt. Allen, who was an All-Star last season, totaled 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists and helped hold Embiid to 9-of-21 from the floor.

In a fortuitous scheduling break, former Sixers wing Danny Green made his Cavaliers debut Wednesday night after officially signing with Cleveland off the buyout market Wednesday morning.

Green received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he entered the game for the first time with about five minutes to play in the second quarter. He finished with three points — hitting a deep shot late in the first half — on 1-of-4 shooting and one rebound in 12 minutes, and spent time guarding Harden.

“That was awesome,” Rivers said of the reception for Green. “Great job by our fans acknowledging Danny Green. That was really cool. And then he made a three, and I wanted to kill him.”

After two seasons with the Sixers — which concluded with a gruesome knee injury suffered in their Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals in mid-May — Green was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night in the deal that brought back Melton. Green was then sent to the Houston Rockets at last week’s trade deadline, before agreeing to a buyout so he could sign with the team of his choice.

New Sixers big man Dewayne Dedmon, meanwhile, did not play after his signing became official Tuesday. Instead, Paul Reed remained Embiid’s backup, finishing with five points, four rebounds, and two blocked shots in 9:27 of playing time.

» READ MORE: Paul Reed is back in the Sixers’ rotation, but will his opportunity be short-lived?

The Sixers quickly jumped out to a 31-10 lead thanks to a blistering offensive start, shooting 11-of-14 from the floor, including 6-of-6 from three-point range.

Harden anchored the early surge, totaling eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and eight assists in the first quarter. After a finish through traffic inside, Harden rolled his shoulders forward in celebration. His bounce pass in transition to Melton gave the Sixers their 21-point advantage.

“He had points early, but I thought it was his playmaking that got us the lead,” Rivers said of Harden. “And that’s what he is. When he plays in that mode, he’s so good as a scorer, he’s going to score anyway. But when he gets everybody else shots like he did — and we’re making them, obviously — we become almost unbeatable.”