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Cleveland Cavaliers defense falls flat in 114-95 loss to Philadelphia 76ers

Philly shot 67% in the first half.
Credit: Tony Dejak/AP
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (21) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson (13) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND — (AP) Tobias Harris scored 27 points, Joel Embiid had 14 and the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-95 on Sunday.

Cleveland nearly pulled off an upset in Philadelphia on Tuesday before falling 98-97, but the 76ers ended quickly ended any hope of a repeat.

Philadelphia went ahead midway through the first quarter and steadily built the lead, shooting 67% in the half. The lead reached 75-44 early in the third quarter.

Harris was 12 of 14 from the field, missing only one of 12 2-point attempts. Ben Simmons had 10 points and 11 assists, and the 76ers had six players score in double figures.

Cavaliers forward Kevin Love took a hard fall after being flattened by Furkan Korkmaz while shooting in the lane in the first quarter. Love got up after being on the floor for a couple of moments and gave the thumbs-up sign to the crowd, remaining in the game.

Love scored 12 points in 25 minutes. Collin Sexton had 17 points for Cleveland, which has lost three straight and opened a stretch of five games in seven days.

The Cavaliers were ahead of the 76ers by five points late in Tuesday's game, but couldn't hold the lead. Love missed an open 3-pointer on the final possession.

Philadelphia shredded Cleveland's defense this time with 33 assists on 46 baskets. The 76ers followed an 11-0 run with a 14-3 spurt to take a 60-31 lead on Harris' dunk with four minutes to play in the second quarter.

Philadelphia had dropped five of seven going into the game, including consecutive losses in Orlando and Oklahoma City, but finished its road trip on a high note.

TIP-INS

76ers: Simmons swatted Sexton's shot into the second row of the stands in the third quarter. ... Nine players scored in the first half. ... G Trey Burke played for Cleveland coach John Beilein at Michigan, winning NCAA Player of the Year honors in 2013.

Cavaliers: F Larry Nance Jr. didn't play because of a sprained left thumb, but Beilein doesn't expect the injury to be a long-term issue. Nance has been playing with a wrap on his thumb for several games and aggravated it on a dunk Thursday ... C Ante Zizic made his first appearance of the season after missing 11 games with left foot plantar fasciitis. He scored six points in 17 minutes.

BIRD DELAY

A bird flew on the court and landed near the 76ers bench in the first quarter, briefly stopping the game. A couple of Philadelphia players walked toward the bird, which immediately flew away. The bird returned in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

76ers: Host New York on Wednesday. Philadelphia begins a three-game stretch at home, where it is 4-0.

Cavaliers: Visit New York on Monday. Cleveland has won 11 straight over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

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