Shake Milton scored 27 points off the bench to help the Philadelphia 76ers conclude a six-game road trip with a 114-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Milton made 10 of 14 shots from the floor and joined Seth Curry by draining five 3-pointers. Milton’s point total fell just shy of his season-high total of 31, which was recorded in Philadelphia’s 125-108 win over the Miami Heat on Jan. 14.
Curry had 19 points and Dwight Howard collected 18 points and 15 rebounds for the 76ers, who snapped a two-game skid to finish the trek with a 4-2 mark. The victory allowed Philadelphia to avert a three-game season sweep at the hands of Cleveland and improve to 7-3 with four-time All-Star center Joel Embiid nursing a bone bruise in his left knee.
Collin Sexton had 24 points and Dean Wade chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have dropped four in a row. Kevin Love scored all 13 of his points in the first quarter in his return from an eight-game absence due to a severe calf strain.
Related: NBA Power Rankings – Warriors and Celtics remain at the top after first wave of free agency
The 76ers ratcheted up the intensity in the third quarter to turn a narrow 58-56 halftime lead into a rout.
Tobias Harris drained a pair of short jumpers and Danny Green drilled 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to push Philadelphia’s advantage to 68-58 early in the third quarter. Cleveland countered with a 7-0 run before Green and Curry each converted from beyond the arc to highlight a 15-4 spurt by the Sixers that pushed their lead to 83-69.
Milton and Furkan Korkmaz each sank a 3-pointer as Philadelphia scored 12 of the first 15 points of the fourth quarter to open up a 97-76 lead. The 76ers were not seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Cleveland’s Matthew Dellavedova missed all four of his shots while logging 16 minutes in his season debut. Dellavedova sustained a concussion during the Cavaliers’ preseason opener on Dec. 12 and later felt pain in his abdomen, leading to him having his appendix removed on Feb. 20.
Related: NBA games today – Full offseason schedule, including start of NBA free agency
–Field Level Media