Ben Simmons had 27 points (24 in the paint), 15 rebounds and 13 assists, his 12th career triple-double, and the Philadelphia 76ers held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-130 for their 13th straight win.
The 76ers took control with a 31-12 run in the first quarter and led by as many as 30. The 76ers led 75-45 with 2:11 left in the second quarter, and the Cavaliers got within 130-129 with 4.6 seconds left.
The Cavaliers had the ball down 2, but Larry Nance Jr. missed a tip attempt with 1.9 seconds left that would have tied it.
During clutch time, the teams each scored 11. JJ Redick scored 7 of the 76ers’ 11 on 2 for 3 shooting and 2 for 2 at the line. Early in the fourth quarter, Robert Covington had 2 of his 3 steals.
Redick scored 28 points, and Marco Belinelli added 23 points (11 in the third quarter) with 6 3-pointers off the bench. The 76ers had 3 20-point scorers. Simmons assisted on 5 of Redick’s 9 baskets, 2 of them in the fourth quarter.
For the Cavaliers, LeBron James had 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, his 18th triple-double of the season, and Cedi Osman went 1 for 8 from 3. Jeff Green scored a season-high 33 points on 10 for 12 shooting. James scored 16 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers had 2 30-point scorers.
The 76ers outscored the Cavaliers 56-25 off the bench. The Cavaliers outscored the 76ers 25-11 in 7 minutes with James, Korver, Green, Love and Osman on the floor together.