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Sixers end lengthy home drought against Cavs

Dec 8, 2010 - 3:57 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The 76ers found a way to beat Cleveland at home.

Then again, everyone is picking on the Cavaliers these days.

Thaddeus Young scored a game-high 26 points with 11 rebounds off the bench to lead Philadelphia to a 117-97 win Tuesday that snapped an eight-game home losing streak to the Cavs dating back nearly five years.

Lou Williams added 19 points, also in a reserve role, and the Sixers won for the fourth time in five games since a 1-8 stretch. They have won five games in a row at home for the first time in almost three years.

"The guys are coming together," said Young. "Teamwork and hard work -- we are showing it."

J.J. Hickson scored 18 to lead the Cavs, who have lost five straight games -- all by 10 points or more. Daniel Gibson added 16 points off the bench and Mo Williams had 15 in the loss.

"I'm very disappointed with this whole road trip," said Cleveland head coach Byron Scott, whose team went 0-3 on the brief jaunt. "I don't know where the sense or urgency is right now, especially on the defensive end. We have to be much, much better."

The Sixers' last home win against Cleveland came February 22, 2006. They also snapped a five-game overall losing streak to the Cavs, including two this year.

"It feels good to beat them," said Sixers head coach Doug Collins, whose team moved to 2-0 on its current four-game homestand.

"That team is a very difficult matchup for us. Their guards are very good. They run an offense that keeps you on the move."

That pace fit the Sixers just fine. They outscored Cleveland on the fast break, 24-18, in a well-balanced attack that saw seven players score in double-digits, including all five starters.

Jodie Meeks and Jrue Holiday both scored 16 points, Andre Iguodala had 13, Elton Brand scored 11 and Spencer Hawes chipped in with 10 and a game-high 12 rebounds.

"I think our guys are feeling good about themselves," said Collins.

That much was obvious. The Sixers led by 14 points at halftime and Meeks made back-to-back threes to extend it to 20 early in the third, hitting the second shot from the right corner.

Everyone was making threes.

Hawes, the 7-foot-1 center who shoots around 31 percent from beyond the arc, hit a three at 2:27 to give the Sixers a 23-point lead at 89-66 -- their largest of the game.

Cleveland trimmed its deficit to 15 points, 89-74, entering the fourth and Antawn Jamison cut it to 12 with a three-pointer at the beginning of the quarter. The Cavs pulled within 11 on a Gibson three moments later, but were never closer than that.

The Sixers shot 52 percent in the game and made 25 of their 30 foul shots.

Both teams were 13-of-23 shooting in the first quarter, but the Sixers took a 35-26 behind 10 points apiece from Meeks and Holiday. Meeks hit a pair of three-pointers and Philadelphia made seven foul shots for the difference.

The Sixers went ahead by as many as 14 twice in the second quarter, the last time when Young's free throws made it 66-52 in the final minute. They carried a 66-54 lead into the break, getting 17 points from Young in the half.

Game Notes

The Sixers have won five games in a row at home for the first time since an eight-game run from February 5-March 7, 2008...Meeks made an impact again while starting in place of first-round draft pick Evan Turner for the second straight game. Meeks had a career-high 26 points in an 18-point win over Charlotte on Saturday...The second loss in Cleveland's five-game skid came to LeBron James and the Miami Heat last Thursday -- James' return to the city...The Cavs shot 50 percent.