Cavs put clamps on Joel Embiid in 113-85 win over Philadelphia

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers' defensive game plan centered solely on stopping All-Star center Joel Embiid. The 7-foot, 280-pounder never got going as the Cavs thumped the Philadelphia 76ers 113-85 Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Embiid finished with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals and shot just 6-for-16 from the field. He took a seat early in the fourth quarter for the Sixers (12-10) after the game got completely out of hand. The Cavs (14-8) wanted to crowd Embiid in the paint, double-team him on occasions and eventually frustrate him. Before the game, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wanted "everyone has to do their part" against Embiid, who had games of 44 points and 40 against them last year. They wanted to beat the 76ers (12-10) down court before they could set up their oftentimes deadly half-court offense. Once Embiid ventured into the lane, he was double-teamed by Evan Mobley and Mamadi Diakite.It got to the point where the Cavs were so preoccupied with crowding the paint, they cheered and clapped their hands when they were called for defensive three seconds, which result in technical foul shots. "We wanted to be aggressive to shade toward (Embiid)," Bickerstaff said. "Mamadi (Diakite) was awesome. He was a big part of the defensive game plan." When asked what it takes to neutralize Embiid, who second in voting for MVP last year to Nikola Jokic of Denver, the coach said, "Five guys and five more guys coming off the bench." Mobley was credited with putting the clamps on Embiid. "Embiid is MVP-caliber and Evan accepted the challenge," Bickerstaff said. "He's a competitor. Sometimes his calm demeanor fools us. He's not afraid." Mobley was a force inside with 16 points, a game-high eight rebounds and three assists. He was 8-for-10 from the field. Cavs swingman Caris LeVert had his best game in weeks with a game-high 22 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. He said it was a team effort to attempt to slow down Embiid. "It was all five guys concentrating on what he was doing," LeVert said. "It was a great game plan. We executed it to a T." Cavs point guard Darius Garland added 21 points and nine assists, while guard Donovan Mitchell shook a recent shooting slump with 18 points and six assists. Things completely unraveled for Philadelphia in the third quarter when the Cavs stormed to a 78-48 advantage with nine minutes left. At one point, the Cavs were shooting a sizzling 11-for-15 from 3-point range. For the game, the Cavs shot .608 from the field (45-for-74) and .517 from behind the arc (15-for-29). Cleveland shot 73 percent from the field in the first half (27-for-37) as it jumped all over Philadelphia 69-48. Tip-ins Cavs forward Kevin Love has missed five of the last six games with a fractured right thumb. He did try to play against Atlanta on Nov. 21 but failed to score."We're trying to get it calmed down and then he'll be back, Bickerstaff said. The Cavs are now 9-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this season. Counting the Sixers game Wednesday, they play five of their next six games at home. Cavs center Jarrett Allen's progress has been slow with his lower back contusion. He's missed the last three games."He's gotten better," Bickerstaff said. "(It's a matter of) how quickly he progresses. It's been slow." Sixers guard James Harden, out of the lineup with a sprained right foot since early November, is close to making his return. He is averaging 22 points, 7.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on Twitter.