Simmons hits career-high 34 to lead Sixers past Cavs


Reuters | Philadelphia | Updated: 08-12-2019 08:36 IST | Created: 08-12-2019 08:34 IST
Simmons hits career-high 34 to lead Sixers past Cavs
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Ben Simmons scored 26 of his career-high 34 points in the first half as the Philadelphia 76ers remained undefeated at home with a convincing 141-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. Simmons made 12 of 14 shots from the floor and Trey Burke and Mike Scott each chipped in 21 points for the 76ers, who improved to 11-0 at home after posting their ninth win in 11 games.

The victory was Philadelphia's third over Cleveland this season. The 76ers posted a 98-97 win over the Cavaliers on Nov. 12 and a 114-95 victory against Cleveland five nights later. Scott scored 16 of his points in the first half while playing in place of All-Star center Joel Embiid, who reported discomfort in his hip following Philadelphia's 119-13 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

The 76ers wasted little time putting that setback in their rearview mirror, as Simmons worked the interior to score eight quick points to give the 76ers a 10-0 lead under three minutes into the game. Simmons recorded 14 points to represent a team season-high total in the first quarter as the 76ers cruised to a 36-18 advantage. The second quarter saw more of the same, as Philadelphia's 41-point lead at halftime (77-36) represented its largest in franchise history. The 76ers went 32 of 45 from the field (71.1 percent) and 8 of 16 from 3-point range to effectively send the reeling Cavaliers to their sixth straight loss and 12th in 13 outings.

Simmons sent the crowd into a frenzy after draining his second 3-pointer of the season to stake Philadelphia to a 61-28 lead with 3:41 remaining in the second quarter. The 23-year-old then finished an alley-oop with a two-handed slam on the next possession. While the 76ers were flourishing, the Cavaliers couldn't keep pace in the first half as they made just 15 of 48 shots from the field (31.3 percent) and 3 of 16 from 3-point range (18.8 percent).

Darius Garland finished with a team-high 17 points, Tristan Thompson added 12 and Kevin Love returned from a one-game absence due to illness to finish with six points for Cleveland.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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