Embiid makes plays as 76ers down Cavs

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

Asked to assess his overall performance, Joel Embiid said he was “trash.”

When the Philadelphia 76ers needed him the most, however, their All-Star center came to play.

Ben Simmons scored 26 points, Embiid had 19 rebounds and made some big plays down the stretch, and the 76ers held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-99 on Tuesday night.

“Myself and Jo, we take a lot of responsibility to try to get the team going, whether it’s with energy or defense,” Simmons said. “Jo did a great job on the defensive end.”

Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 26 points, including a layup with 3:10 left that pulled Cleveland within one. Cedi Osman added 18 and put the Cavs ahead 97-96 with under 3 minutes to go as boos rained down in Philly.

But Mike Scott responded with a 3-pointer to put the 76ers back ahead. And after Simmons made a free throw and Jordan Clarkson a layup for Cleveland, Embiid followed his own miss with a thunderous dunk to give the Sixers a 102-99 lead with under a minute left.

Embiid, playing in his second game after missing eight straight with a sore left knee, had a block on the other end and then made four consecutive free throws to seal the win as “MVP! MVP!” chants replaced the boos.