NBA: James Harden reaches 29,000-point plateau as Cavs rip 76ers

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 115-101 on Monday night, powered by a strong performance from veteran guard James Harden.

Harden scored 21 points, while trade-deadline acquisition Keon Ellis added 19 to help Cleveland secure the home victory. In his 17th NBA season, Harden also reached a major career milestone, surpassing 29,000 points during the first quarter. He finished the game with 29,017 career points, placing him ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, behind Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain, who holds eighth place with 31,419 points.

The win marked Cleveland’s eighth victory in its last nine home games and came just one day after a 109-98 loss at the same arena to the Boston Celtics. Since Dec. 29, the Cavaliers have gone 23-9 and climbed into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Donovan Mitchell contributed 17 points and six assists for Cleveland, which led by as many as 25 points during the game. Evan Mobley added 15 points, while Dean Wade recorded 13 points and 10 assists. The Cavaliers also completed a season sweep of Philadelphia, winning all four matchups against the short-handed 76ers.

For Philadelphia, Quentin Grimes led the team with 17 points, and Justin Edwards scored 14 points off the bench. Cameron Payne, who started in place of injured All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

The 76ers were missing several key players. Maxey sat out with a right finger sprain, while center Joel Embiid (right oblique strain), forward Paul George (league suspension), and guard VJ Edgecombe (lumbar contusion) were also inactive. The quartet represents Philadelphia’s top four scorers this season.

Maxey, who leads the league with 1,767 points, is expected to miss at least one more game. X-rays and an MRI showed no broken bones in his hand, and head coach Nick Nurse said the guard will see a specialist later this week.

Cleveland established control early, with Ellis, Mitchell, and Harden combining for 39 points in the first half to give the Cavaliers a 56-44 lead at halftime. Ellis and Grimes each had 14 points in the half, while Payne contributed nine points and five rebounds for Philadelphia.

The Cavaliers took their first lead at 19-18 on Ellis’ 3-pointer with 2:27 left in the opening quarter and never trailed again. Cleveland extended its advantage to 86-66 by the end of the third quarter.

Mitchell and Harden were perfect from the free-throw line, with Mitchell going 9-for-9 and Harden 6-for-6. Cleveland shot 23-of-25 (92 percent) overall from the line, while Ellis led the team from long range, making four of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.

The Cavaliers were also without center Jarrett Allen (right knee tendonitis) and rookie guard Tyrese Proctor (right quadriceps strain), both of whom missed their second consecutive games. -Field Level Media/Reuters