First Posted: 1/5/2015
PHILADELPHIA — Tony Wroten scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 95-92 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
Philadelphia had been 0-14 at home this season.
Kevin Love had 28 points and 19 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who didn’t have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving with them on the trip because of injuries.
They lost Dion Waiters and two reserves shortly before tipoff because of a trade.
A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press the Cavaliers will acquire guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks in a three-team trade that also includes the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The person told the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade was not yet official.
James missed his fifth straight game due to a strained knee and back and could be sidelined another week. Irving sat out with a bad back, and the Cavs have already lost starting center Anderson Varejao for the season following an Achilles injury.
After the Cavaliers blew all of a 17-point lead, Love made it 92-90 with a pair of free throws with 1:09 left.
Wroten made one of two free throws, then knifed his way through the lane for the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left for a 93-92 lead and help the Sixers end their 14-game, home-losing streak.
Waiters, the No. 4 pick in the 2010 draft, has been the subject of trade speculation for two seasons. He averaged 15.9 points last season, the highest average for any reserve in the Eastern Conference.
Without a nice chunk of their offense, Love took control as the primary focus. Tristan Thompson scored 18 points and Joe Harris added 16 in place of Waiters.
Michael Carter-Williams had 18 points and 13 assists for the Sixers after missing one game with right shoulder soreness. Carter-Williams buried a jumper with 4:45 left to pull the Sixers to 86-80 and got a rise out of the crowd of 17,771.
Smith was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2013, but has battled injuries to his heel this season, along with his usual struggles with shot selection and focus off the court. He was held out of the New York lineup on Monday night in Memphis.
Shumpert also has been hurt, remaining sidelined with a dislocated shoulder. He had been starting before his injury for the Knicks, who came into Monday with a 5-31 record, the most losses in the NBA.
TIP-INS:
Cavaliers: Waiters, a Philadelphia native, told reporters at shootaround he left about 50 tickets for friends and family. … Love had combined for 52 points and 22 rebounds the last two games against Philadelphia. … Thompson averaged only 9.4 points this season.
UP NEXT:
Cavaliers: Wednesday vs. Houston.
