CLEVELAND — The best team in the Eastern Conference welcomed the worst team Sunday, and the result was exactly what you would expect.
The Sixers lost their 10th game in a row and fell to 1-28 overall and 0-17 on the road with a 108-86 defeat to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nerlens Noel led the Sixers with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Cleveland native JaKarr Sampson (10 points) was the only other double-figure scorer for the Sixers.
James led the way for Cleveland (18-7), scoring 23 points before sitting out the fourth quarter.
The Sixers allowed more than 100 points for the 19th time this season, and the eighth time in their last nine games.
Turning point
Unlike the first two meetings, when the Sixers led at halftime before the Cavs pulled ahead in the third quarter, James led a second-quarter surge to put this game away.
The Sixers led for much of the first quarter, and were ahead, 26-21, after Tony Wroten scored two straight fast-break layups at the end of the first quarter and Sampson hit one of two free throws early in the second quarter.
From there, the Cavs went on an 11-0 run, during which the Sixers turned the ball over on five straight possessions. By halftime, the Cavs were up 55-38.
James did more on offense in the second quarter than the entire Sixers lineup, scoring 11 points and assisting on three baskets that produced eight points. He also had three steals, two rebounds and a block in the quarter.
The Sixers scored 13 points on 30.7 percent shooting and turned the ball over nine times in the second quarter after shooting 43.5 percent with four turnovers in the first.
The Cavs continued the trend of dominating the Sixers in the third quarter, extending their lead by 11 points in the period. In the three third quarters this season, Cleveland has outscored Philadelphia, 98-63.
Kyrie Irving returns
As if the defending Eastern Conference champions needed reinforcements to beat the Sixers, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving made his season debut Sunday.
Playing for the first time since fracturing his knee cap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals six months ago, Irving had 12 points and four assists in 17 minutes.
Irving looked healthy, but rusty, driving past Kendall Marshall to the rim on his first trip up the floor only to miss the layup. Irving missed his first five shots, including two more layups, before James set him up for a wide-open fast-break bucket with 8:56 left in the second quarter.
The Cavs didn’t need much from Irving, as backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova had a season-high 20 points before the start of the fourth quarter.
Three-point woes
The Sixers have been one of the league’s worst three-point shooting teams this season. And they were worse than usual Sunday, hitting just 5 of 25 from long range, dropping their three-point shooting percentage below 32 percent on the season, which ranks 26th in the NBA.
While the Cavs pulled away in the second quarter, the Sixers shot 1 for 7 from three-point range.
Up next
The Sixers return home Tuesday to face the Memphis Grizzlies before embarking on a six-game road trip out West. The Grizzlies (15-14) won the first matchup of the season, 92-84, on Nov. 29 in Memphis.