The Cleveland Cavaliers (18 - 7) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (1 - 28) 108 - 86 on Sunday. The game marked the return of Kyrie Irving to the court for the first time since suffering a fractured kneecap in last season's NBA Finals. The 23 - year - old gave Cavs fans and management plenty of reason for optimism, as he tallied 12 points, four assists, a rebound and two steals over a highly productive 17 minutes. Irving drained a pair of three - pointers as part of that effort, and looked crisp overall in his first game action. While they are sure to manage his minutes carefully in the first few games, an already formidable Cavs squad now stands to greatly benefit from the talent infusion that the All-Star point guard provides. The Sixers were led by Nerlens Noel's 15 points, which he impressively supplemented with 12 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. The power forward was the sole Philadelphia starter with double - digit scoring, as reserves T.J. McConnell and Jakarr Sampson were the only other teammates to join him in that distinction with a pair of 10 - point efforts. Rookie standout Jahlil Okafor struggled against the one of the stingiest defenses in the NBA versus opposing centers, netting only nine points and eight rebounds. Robert Covington and Isaiah Canaan each struggled through a pair of 2 for 9 shooting performances from the field, and the Sixers shot a forgettable 35 percent as a team. Philadelphia fell to 1 - 28 and sports the worst record in the NBA. They currently reside in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, and head home to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. The comfortable lead the Cavs held in the second half allowed them the luxury of sitting LeBron James for the entire fourth quarter. He filled out the stat sheet through three periods anyhow, collecting 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block over just 25 minutes. Kevin Love joined Irving and James in double - digit scoring with 10 points, and the Cavs power forward added four rebounds, an assist and a steal over a scant 22 minutes. Timofey Mozgov's eight - point, eight - rebound performance rounded out an efficient afternoon for the starters, and Matthew Delladedova was outstanding off the bench in relief of Irving with 20 points, two assists, two steals and two blocks. The Cavaliers improved to 18 - 7 and have a hold of first place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They remain home to face the Knicks on Wednesday.
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