PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers avoided falling victim to LeBron James. As a result, they've ascended to third place in the Eastern Conference.
Philly managed to overcome James' domination in a Cavaliers comeback effort in Friday night's 132-130 victory at Wells Fargo Center.
The game was decided with the megastar at the foul line attempting three foul shots with 1.9 seconds left. He made the first one to close the gap to two points. After missing the second, James purposely missed the third. Larry Nance Jr. missed the tip-in right before the buzzer, as the Sixers held on for their biggest victory in five seasons.
The Sixers (49-30) also extended their winning streak to 13 games. This one elevated them to third place in the conference standings with three games remaining. The Cavaliers (49-31) are a half-game back with two games left.
Controlling its own destiny, Philly would keep the third spot by winning out or with a Cavaliers loss in their remaining two games. Cleveland's final two games are both against the New York Knicks _ on Monday at home and Wednesday on the road.
James scored 35 of 44 points after intermission. He also finished the game with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and eight turnovers.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons had his 12th triple-double of the season. The Sixers rookie point guard had 27 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals, three turnovers and a block. JJ Redick had a team-high 28 points for the Sixers.
However, this game perhaps had too much excitement down the stretch for Sixers coach Brett Brown.
His Sixers had commanding 75-45 cushion after Ersan Ilyasova made a pair of foul shots with 2 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
They went into the locker room with a 78-55 advantage. Their point total set a Wells Fargo Center record for the most points in the half.
This was going to be an easy victory, or so it seemed. James wouldn't have any of that.
The Cavs superstar scored 21 third-quarter points to pull his team within seven points (105-98) heading into the fourth quarter. James kept scoring and Cleveland kept cutting into the lead.
The small forward pulled the Cavs within two points (119-114) on a layup with 8 minutes, 22 seconds left.
The Sixers clung to a 128-127 lead with 12.4 seconds left. Jeff Green fouled JJ Redick with 9.0 seconds left. The Sixers shooting guard made a pair of foul shots to give his squad a three-point cushion.
The Sixers fouled James on the ensuing possession. He made a pair of foul shots with 4.6 seconds remaining to make it a 130-129 game.
Then Ilyasova hit a pair to put the Sixers back up three. However, Robert Covington fouled James while he was attempted a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left.
