PHILADELPHIA _ It felt like the 76ers were due for a breather.
Entertaining the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed like a surefire way to welcome back Boban Marjanovic and cope with Jimmy Butler missing the game for what the team said was rest. Even Cleveland did its part to keep the Sixers' spirits high, as the Cavaliers only had nine available players.
In the end, the Sixers did get the 106-99 win Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center thanks to Joel Embiid's late heroics. But it wasn't pretty. At times, they were unwatchable on both sides of the court.
Ben Simmons paced the Sixers with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
James Ennis III had his best game as a Sixer while starting in place of Jimmy Butler, had 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting. He made his first six attempts.
Embiid finished with 17 points to go with game highs of 19 rebounds and four blocks in his second game back from tendinitis in his left knee.
But Embiid (6-for-16), Tobias Harris (5-for-12), and JJ Redick (6-for-15) shot a combined to shoot 17-for-43 from the field. Redick was fine behind the arc, making 4 of 7 3-pointers. He just struggled on other attempts while finishing with 17 points.
The Sixers also committed 22 turnovers.
But Embiid's put-back dunk with 51 seconds left gave the Sixers a 102-99 lead. Then he blocked Ante Zizic layup attempt with 31 seconds left. Two seconds after grabbing the rebound, Embiid was fouled by Cedi Osman. The two-time All-Star center went on sink a pair of foul shots to make it a 104-99 game. He added two more foul shots with give the Sixers' their 106-99 decision.
With the win, the Sixers improved to 43-25 with 15 games remaining in the season. They're also 2-1 in the season series against the Cavaliers (17-51). Cleveland was coming off Tuesday's victory over the Toronto Raptors.
The already undermanned Cavs were without five-time All-Star Kevin Love one night after he finished with 16 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. That was the power forward's 10th games back after being sidelined with a toe injury.
He, however, sat out Tuesday's game due to not being cleared to play on both night's of back-to-back situations. Meanwhile, reserve post player Marquese Chriss was suspended without pay Tuesday due to fighting Raptors forward Serge Ibaka with 0.01 left in the third quarter of Monday's game. Both players were ejected from the game.
"Well it's a very unfortunate ... situation," Cavs coach Larry Drew said of the suspension. "And not having Kevin, this is the wrong team to come in here and play against a big 76er team. You do need big bodies."
Cleveland was also without Matthew Dellavedova (concussion), Tristan Thompson (left foot soreness), John Henson (left wrist surgery), Larry Nance Jr. (rib contusion) and JR Smith (not with team).
As a result, the Cavs had nine available players against the Sixers.
Meanwhile, the Sixers were happy to welcome back center Marjanovic (11 points), who missed the past six games with right knee bone bruise and mild sprain.
The Sixers also re-called Zhaire Smith from their NBA G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats.
The rookie did not play in the first NBA game he dressed.
He was recalled from the Blue Coats around 10 a.m. Tuesday while getting ready to board a flight to Milwaukee with his Blue Coats teammates for Tuesday night's G-League game against the Wisconsin Herd.
"I'm getting a little bit of taste of the NBA and I know what to expect for next summer," Smith said before the game. "I'll just know what to expect and what to work on and look forward to next year. I'm focused on this year, soaking everything in."
Smith was expected to return in December after being sidelined with an acute Jones fracture in his left foot. However, he remained out due to the negative effects from an allergic reaction to something he ate back in September.
His recall was more about getting experience than helping the team for a playoff-seeding push.
"He's still is going to end or conclude the G-League season," Brown said. "He will be with them and see that season through. Anything we can get from Zhaire will be an additional bonus. It's not anything I'm counting on. If it happens, it happens. I'm not expecting it at all.
"It's not like this sneaky drive to shove him into a playoff situation ... Could it happen? Who knows?"
But his call-up is not driven on that basis.
Smith made his G-League debut on March 1 in a road game against the Maine Red Claws. He averaged 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in four G-League games.
On Tuesday, the Sixers set a floor record for a half with no foul shots made or attempted in the first two quarters. They also committed 14 turnovers in the first half
Rookie point guard Collin Sexton paced the Cavs with 26 points.
