Cleveland takes down banged-up 76ers to end NBA skid

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of their Philadelphia 76ers assignment, 115-101, during their Eastern Conference showdown in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 10, 2026, at the Rocket Arena.

Eager to move forward fresh off a loss to the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers just proved to be too much for the undermanned 76ers squad, which missed the presence of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe, who were all sidelined due to their respective injuries.

As expected, the healthy Cavaliers struck first as they leaned on the backcourt duo of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, who took the 76ers’ perimeter defense to school.

Harden set the tone for Cleveland after dropping eight quick points and two assists, while Mitchell shouldered nine of the team’s final 16 points that put the Cavaliers in front heading into the second frame.

Philadelphia attempted to rally behind Quentin Grimes’ 3-point shooting, but a late counter-avalanche from Cleveland’s frontcourt steered them to a 12-point advantage at the half, 56-44.

Evan Mobley stepped up for Cleveland during the second quarter, finishing lob after lob fed by Harden in the pick-and-roll while cleaning up Mitchell’s misses for several easy put-back dunks.

The Cavaliers then took full control of the game’s pace midway through the third, banking on their bench mob’s much-needed offensive resurgence.

Keon Ellis picked up where Harden and Mitchell left off, dropping 12 big points in the quarter alone that mounted Cleveland’s biggest lead of the ball game at 25 points.

With nothing clicking for the banged-up 76ers, including their elbow flare screen plays for Grimes and Justin Edwards, head coach Nick Nurse called it a day and pulled out all of his starters with six minutes still remaining in the fourth quarter.

Harden bounced back from an inefficient outing against the Celtics and led the Cavaliers with an all-around effort of 21 points, five assists, and five rebounds.

Ellis added 19 markers off the bench built from four 3-pointers, while Mitchell wrapped up the win with 17 points, six dimes, three boards, and two steals.

In the absence of Jarrett Allen, Mobley fortified Cleveland’s shaded lane with 15 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and an assist.

The Cavaliers will look to sustain their momentum on March 12, 2026, against Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic, while the 76ers seek to rebound today against the Memphis Grizzlies.