Cavaliers Cruise Past Shorthanded 76ers 115-101

The Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 115-101 on Monday night. The Sixers came into town missing their biggest stars, and Cleveland took full advantage.

Missing Stars Hurt Philadelphia

The 76ers had to battle without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George. Embiid has been out since late February with a right oblique strain. Maxey sat after colliding with a teammate late in Saturday's game. George is serving a suspension that will keep him out until late March.

Without their usual weapons, Philadelphia struggled to keep up. They trailed by six points after the first quarter. By halftime, Cleveland had stretched the lead to 12 points. The Cavaliers kept pouring it on in the third quarter, building a 21-point advantage heading into the final period.

Harden and Cavaliers Take Control

James Harden led Cleveland with 21 points and five assists. The veteran guard knocked down shots all night, hitting over half his attempts from the floor. He looked smooth running the offense, zipping passes and scoring when the defense gave him space.

Keon Ellis added 19 points and came up big on defense. Donovan Mitchell chipped in 17 points and six assists. He focused on getting teammates involved, directing traffic like a point guard. Evan Mobley grabbed eight rebounds and swatted three shots away at the rim. Dean Wade dominated the boards with 10 rebounds and scored 13 points.

Grimes Leads Sixers Effort

Quentin Grimes battled hard for Philadelphia with 17 points in 36 minutes. Justin Edwards came off the bench and scored 14 points on hot shooting. Cameron Payne added 12 points and six rebounds.

But the Sixers just didn't have enough firepower. They needed their stars, and playing shorthanded caught up with them. Cleveland improved to 40-25 while Philadelphia dropped to 34-30. The Cavaliers showed why they're one of the East's top teams when they play with energy on both ends.