Sixers showcase themselves for LeBron

CLEVELAND — J.J. Redick scored 22 points, Joel Embiid had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers delivered an inperson sales pitch to LeBron James by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 on Thursday night to end an 11-game losing streak against the Eastern Conference champions.

Ben Simmons scored 18 and Dario Saric 16, including a critical three-pointer in the closing minutes, for the Sixers, who are 8-2 since Feb. 6.

James finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Earlier this week, three billboards urging the three-time champion to sign as a free agent this summer with Philadelphia were unveiled on a busy highway outside Cleveland. James said he hadn’t seen the signs, which were paid for by a Pennsylvania company, but he was pleased that fans want him.

The Sixers gave him a glimpse of what he could be joining.

Philadelphia nearly blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter as the Cavs, who never led, got within 95-94 on Kyle Korver’s three-pointer with 2:25 left. But the young Sixers showed poise by scoring the next eight points to seal an impressive win.

After the final horn, James walked to Philadelphia’s end of the floor and to hug both Simmons and Embiid, embraces that had to make Cleveland fans cringe.

Embiid sat out the Sixers’ previous visit to Cleveland on Dec. 9 because he wasn’t playing back-to-back games at that time.