Philadelphia @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 27, 2017 ) Cleveland 113, Philadelphia 91

The Cleveland Cavaliers saw their franchise record-tying winning streak snapped at 13 games and look to start a new run of victories when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The Cavaliers suffered a 106-102 road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday, their first setback since losing to the Houston Rockets on Nov. 9.

"Streaks are meant to be broken obviously," forward LeBron James told reporters afterward. "We knew this would be a tough game for us. They're playing extremely well at home. We gave ourselves a chance, and that's all you can ask for." Cleveland has a streak to protect against Philadelphia as it has rolled off 10 consecutive victories against the 76ers, including a 113-91 win on Nov. 27 when James contributed 30 points and 14 rebounds. Philadelphia is opening up a three-game road trip after dropping consecutive home contests to the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Star center Joel Embiid scored 33 points in Thursday's 107-104 loss to the Lakers but will be rested Saturday on the front end of a back-to-back, while point guard Ben Simmons is coming off a triple-double (12 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds) against Los Angeles.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN Philadelphia, FSN Ohio (Cleveland)

ABOUT THE 76ERS (13-11): Philadelphia acquired veteran forward Trevor Booker (averages of 10.1 points, 6.6 rebounds) from the Brooklyn Nets for center Jahlil Okafor, guard Nik Stauskas and a second-round pick in 2019. Booker will be with the team on Saturday and is excited about the potential of the young squad that appears to be on the rise. "Hopefully we can continue to play well and if we do get into the playoffs, it'll be a great experience, especially for the young guys," Booker told HoopsHype. "It'll be great to get back to that (playoff) atmosphere. We're just going to keep building and keep improving that chemistry. We want to just keep getting better and progress throughout the season."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (18-8): Cleveland has scored 100 or more points in 19 consecutive games and the postgame chatter was focused on seeing if the team could run off another long stretch of victories. "Got a very confident unit and we talked about it in the locker room, gotta start a new streak," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "It was a good streak and came in here and got beat." Shooting guard J.R. Smith matched his season best of five 3-pointers against the Pacers to raise his career total to 1,826, one behind 12th-place Kobe Bryant on the all-time list.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The 76ers have dropped their last seven visits to Cleveland.

2. Injured Cavaliers PG Derrick Rose (ankle) said Friday that he has a bone spur that may require surgery.

3. Philadelphia F Dario Saric (left eye laceration) could miss his second straight game.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 119, 76ers 105