Cavaliers 97, 76ers 84
Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and LeBron James collected 18 points and 11 assists as Cleveland survived a scare from visiting Philadelphia.
Kevin Love struggled to 1-of-7 from the field but grabbed 15 rebounds while J.R. Smith scored 12 for the Cavaliers, who extended their winning streak to 11 straight. Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert combined to go 5-of-6 from 3-point range off the bench for Cleveland.
Robert Covington and Jerami Grant each scored 18 points to lead the 76ers. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored 13 points and Ohio native JaKarr Sampson added 10 on 4-of-5 shooting for Philadelphia.
Covington’s layup opening the fourth quarter drew the 76ers within 69-67 before Irving hit a pair of 3-pointers in an 8-0 run to spread the lead to 10. Covington hit two more 3-pointers and added a three-point play to pull Philadelphia within 86-83 with 3:48 to play but Dellavedova hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 10-0 burst as Cleveland put it away.
The Cavaliers shot 38.1 percent from the field in the first half but still managed to take a 47-35 lead into the break with the 76ers posting a 34.1-percent mark. The lead pushed out to 59-39 on Smith’s 3-pointer with 8:38 left in the third before Philadelphia got four 3-pointers on a 12-2 run and outscored Cleveland 26-10 the rest of the period to cut the deficit to four heading to the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Grant went 3-of-5 from 3-point range and is 8-of-11 from beyond the arc in the last three contests. … The 76ers finished shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 12-of-33 from 3-point range. … Cleveland C Timofey Mozgov recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.