Sure the Cavaliers have been dismal lately, dropping four straight games by a combined 91 points coming into tonight's contest but, for whatever reason, Philadelphia has been unable to solve the Cleveland puzzle. The Sixers had dropped five straight overall versus the Cavs and eight consecutive contests against Cleveland in the City of Brotherly Love heading into the game.
Of course most of that damage was inflicted when superstar LeBron James was still calling Cleveland home, but the hapless, James-less Cavs had already topped the Sixers twice this season, including a 123-116 win in Philly back on Nov. 5 when the Sixers suffered what is now an all too familiar late game collapse, losing an eight-point lead in the waning moments of that one.
That all changed tonight as Thaddeus Young came off the bench to pour in a season-high 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting as the Sixers blitzed Cleveland, 117-97, in front of 10,662 at Wells Fargo Center. Lou Williams added 19 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter.
"It feels really good to beat them," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "That team is a very difficult matchup for us. Their guards are very good."
The starting backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks each contributed 16 points while Holiday also dished out seven assists and snared five rebounds for Philadelphia, which won its fifth straight home game.
Center Spencer Hawes, meanwhile, played a season-high 32 minutes and recorded his first double-double as a Sixer with 10 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
"You can try as much as you want doing stuff on the sidelines, but until you start getting those minutes, it's hard to get in that rhythm," Hawes said. "I think for me especially, I'm a rhythm player. Being out there and feeling that out, not only for myself but getting on the same page as my teammates, that makes a big difference."
J.J. Hickson scored 18 to lead the Cavs, who have lost five straight games -- all by 10 points or more. Boobie Gibson netted 16 points and Mo Williams had 15 and seven assists for Cleveland.
Meeks set the tone for the second straight game by hitting two threes and scoring 10 points in the first quarter as the Sixers raced out to a 35-26 advantage. Young then buried his first seven shots in the game to take over things in the second quarter as Philadelphia took a comfortable 66-54 edge into the locker room.
The Cavs failed to make a significant run in the second half as the Sixers built up a 23-point edge before cruising to the finish line.
Six Shots:
*Young also had a season-high in rebounds with 11 while Hawes had a season-high three blocked shots.
*The Sixers amassed season-highs for points in the first quarter (35), the half (66) and the game (117).
*Holiday had a career-high 29 points versus the Cavs on Nov. 5.
*Tickets in all price ranges remain for one of the Sixers' marquee games of the year, Thursday's tilt against long-time rival Boston. You can purchase them at by visiting sixers.com.
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