Joel Embiid, Sixers snap Cavaliers 7-game winning streak, head into the All-Star break with a 118-112 victory

Joel Embiid scored 29 points last night, including the 10,000th of his career as the Philadelphia 76ers survived a messy second half to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-112 last night.Â
In typical Sixers fashion, they jumped all over the Cavaliers in the first half and led 63-38 at halftime. They connected on six threes and 11-of-14 shots from the floor to extend start out the game with a 31-10 lead.
The Sixers built up a 28-point lead before watching it fall to just four points with 90 seconds left in the game. They were outscored 32-23 in the third quarter and 42-31 in the fourth, but still managed to hang on to win their fourth straight game.
Joel Embiid passed the 10,000 point mark early in the first quarter, reaching that career milestone in his 373rd game – the fastest in franchise history ahead of Allen Iverson who did it in 378.
JOEL EMBIID 10,000
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on February 16, 2023.
James Harden added 19 points and 12 assists, doing most of his damage on the night in the first half with 15 points and nine assists while connecting on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
JAMES HARDEN 1ST HALF: 15 PTS | 9 AST | 3-5 3FG
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on February 16, 2023.
De’Anthony Melton scored 17 points with four assists and two rebounds on the night, as six total players scored in double digits.
DE’ANTHONY MELTON: 17 PTS | 4 AST | 2 REB
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on February 16, 2023.
Sixers Box Score Notables
- Joel Embiid: 29 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
- James Harden: 19 PTS, 4 REB, 12 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
- De’Anthony Melton: 17 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST
- Tyrese Maxey: 16 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST
- Tobias Harris: 13 PTS, 2 REB, 2 STL
- PJ Tucker: 10 PTS, 3 REB, 1 STL
The second half of the game wasn’t pretty.
The Cavaliers forced nine turnovers turning them into 20 points while only coughing up the basketball once.Â
I’m not going to complain over a win in the final game before the All-Star break. The Sixers improved to 38-19 on the season and enter the break on a four game winning streak. They are just three games behind the East-leading Boston Celtics and two games out of second place behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Last night was a big win to keep distance between themselves and the Cavaliers who sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 38-23.Â
Cheers.
Game Highlights: Sixers vs Cavs | 2.15.13
Originally tweeted by Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) on February 16, 2023.