Turner Leads 76ers Over Reeling Cavaliers, 86-79
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Evan Turner had 19 points and nine assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the reeling Cleveland Cavaliers 86-79 Sunday night.
Spencer Hawes and Jrue Holiday each added 14 points for the Sixers, who've won two straight and five of seven.
Alonzo Gee scored 17 and Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson had 14 apiece for Cleveland, which has lost six in a row. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters combined for 14 points on 6-for-27 shooting. They came in averaging a combined 39.1 points, a league-best for a starting backcourt.
The Cavaliers had won eight of their last 10 games in Philadelphia, a stretch that began when LeBron James was the King of Cleveland.
For nearly three quarters, it seemed the Cavaliers would continue their successful run. But the Sixers started pulling away late in the third quarter.
Holiday hit a step-back jumper, Nick Young made a free throw and then his fastbreak slam gave the Sixers their biggest lead to that point, 61-55.
Jason Richardson's 3-pointer 3½ minutes into the fourth increased the lead to 69-59, but the Cavaliers went on a 14-6 run to pull to 77-75.
Turner answered with a jumper and after Varejao missed a putback, Hawes drilled a jumper to make it 79-73. Hawes' 3-pointer extended the lead to 82-75 with 2:15 left.
Turner's turnaround shot put the game away.
Before the game, injured Sixers center Andrew Bynum confirmed he hurt his other knee — the left one — while bowling on Nov. 10. His target date of Dec. 10 for basketball activities appears unlikely.
Young scored 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench. He left in the fourth quarter because of dizziness. Young wore fluorescent orange sneakers that clearly didn't match Philadelphia's white, red and blue colors. Considering his performance, he'll probably use those again.
The Sixers took a 43-42 lead after a back-and-forth first half.
Notes: The Sixers played their fourth straight home game and are in the middle of a stretch where they have eight of nine on their floor. ... They've won just three of their last 10 home games, dating to last season. ... The Sixers are 6-0 when leading entering the fourth quarter. ... Cavaliers F C.J. Miles, the team's top free-agent signing, played 14 minutes after sitting out three straight on a coach's decision. ... Cleveland hosts Philadelphia on Wednesday.
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