LeBron James, Cavaliers Crush 76ers Despite Big Game from Joel Embiid
There is only one LeBron James.
The conversation before Monday night's contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers may have centered on the matchup between James and Ben Simmons and the comparisons between the two, but James reminded everyone he's still the King, registering 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists en route to a 113-91 blowout win at Wells Fargo Center.
That spoiled a huge performance from Joel Embiid, who led the way for Philly (30 points, 11 rebounds), while Simmons had arguably the worst game of his impressive young career, posting 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
He also left the game with a right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter and didn't return, per Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Sixers, who came into the game shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 11.4 made threes per game, finished a horrid 3-of-28 from deep. That included a 0-of-9 showing from Robert Covington from beyond the arc, the team's second-leading three-point shooter coming into the night at 46.2 percent.
Cleveland's bench was superb, meanwhile, outscoring the Sixers' second unit 57-30, highlighted by strong showings from Dwyane Wade (15 points, five assists), Jeff Green (14 points, 10 rebounds), Channing Frye (12 points) and Kyle Korver (nine points).
As basketball writer Sam Amico noted, the difference in experience between the teams was evident:
"I hate losing but I think it's actually good that we got our ass kicked," the always forthcoming Embiid said of the loss, per Rich Hofmann of The Athletic, perhaps sensing himself there was much to be learned from the game.
"We didn't play well on either side of the ball," Sixers head coach Brett Brown added, per Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. "This isn't who we are."
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, meanwhile, wondered if the matchup between James and Simmons could foreshadow a partnership in the future:
And Brown noted he was intrigued seeing the two share the court:
James wasted little time asserting his dominance, scoring 15 points and adding six rebounds in the first quarter alone.
The Cavaliers ultimately took a 53-45 lead into halftime, buoyed by James' 22 points and seven rebounds, as Cleveland's bench provided 23 points and Philly struggled from beyond the arc (0-for-11).
James finished the half in style, beating the buzzer after gathering his own rebound.
The Cavaliers extended the lead to 13 points after three quarters despite Embiid's 16 points in the frame, as the Sixers' dominant young center was the only bright spot on the evening. The Sixers had no answers for the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter, either, going without a bucket for nearly six minutes midway through the frame.
That scoreless drought included Wade improbably blocking an Embiid shot, a fairly apt metaphor for Cleveland's thorough dominance on the night.
As Ryen Russillo of ESPN added, the Cavaliers played a complete game despite having their struggles with Embiid:
The Cavaliers have now won eight straight, led by a reinvigorated defense that is holding opponents to 101.5 points per game during the streak. By contrast, the Cavaliers were giving up 114.1 points per contest during their 5-7 start. Up next is a matchup with the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
The loss snapped Philly's three-game winning streak, meanwhile, with a tough stretch against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the Boston Celtics on Thursday and the Detroit Pistons on Saturday to come.
