CLEVELAND _ The 76ers are back to winning.
They snapped a two-game skid Sunday afternoon with a 128-105 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Sixers (20-11) used a balanced attack and got a lift from Jimmy Butler's return. They had six double-figures scorers. But Ben Simmons' star shined the brightest against the Cavaliers (7-23).
The point guard recorded his third triple-double of the season with 22 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, one steal and zero turnovers. He graded out at plus-23. Simmons was dominant from the start, scoring 11 of the Sixers' first 20 points.
Joel Embiid finished with 24 points and nine rebounds. And there was reserve guard Landry Shamet, who didn't miss a shot until 1 minute, 35 seconds remained. The rookie scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting _ including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.
Butler had 19 points, one steal and one block after missing the last two games with a strained groin.
The Sixers missed his presence in rare losses at the Wells Fargo Center to the Brooklyn Nets (Wednesday) and Indiana Pacers (Friday). The four-time All-Star's availability for Sunday wasn't finalized until 30 minutes the game.
He was basically a bystander early on.
Butler didn't score a point or attempt a shot in 6:47 of action in the first quarter. His only contribution in the opening quarter was a defensive rebound.
But he was more aggressive in the second quarter.
He scored on his first shot, which came 13 seconds into the quarter. He was fouled by Jaron Blossomgame on an eight-foot running jumper. Butler made the foul shot to convert the three-point play and pull the Sixers within 36-32.
He missed his second shot _ an eight-foot running floater _ that came 1:16 later. Butler also missed his next shot. But he drained a wide-open corner 3 on his fourth attempt to put the Sixers up, 49-48, with 5:44 left in the half.
Then after missing his next shot, Butler buried a wide-open, corner 3-pointer to put the Sixers up, 49-48, with 5:44 left in the half. He scored seven points in the quarter.
His next two made baskets came on a 3-pointer and a dunk early in the third quarter. Butler's reverse layup with 8:00 left in the third quarter gave the Sixers a commanding 77-66, lead.
The Cavs pulled within one-point (86-85) on Larry Nance Jr.'s dunk 29 seconds left in the quarter. But Wilson Chandler responded with a 3-pointer to boost the Sixers' lead back up to four points 21 seconds later. The visitors went on to extend their cushion to 23 points.
