Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons (25), from Australia, shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers' Rodney Hood (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons (25), from Australia, shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers' Rodney Hood (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane) Credit: Ron Schwane

Cleveland — Ben Simmons had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists for his third triple-double of the season, Joel Embiid scored 24 points and the Philadelphia 76ers won in Jimmy Butler’s return, routing Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-105, on Sunday.

Butler scored 19 points after missing two games — both losses — with a strained groin. Landry Shamet added 16 points for Philadelphia, J.J. Redick had 14 points and Wilson Chandler 11.

Wizards 128, Lakers 110

Washington — Amid all of his team’s losses, infighting and roster flux, John Wall showed just how well he’s capable of playing, producing 40 points and 14 assists to lead Washington past a sluggish LeBron James and Los Angeles.

A day after he and Lonzo Ball each registered a triple-double in a win at Charlotte, James was limited to a season-low 13 points, along with six rebounds and three assists, while making just five of 16 shots. The four-time NBA MVP sat out the fourth quarter.

Pacers 110, Knicks 99

Indianapolis — Victor Oladipo scored 26 points, Myles Turner had 24 and Indiana beat New York for its seventh straight victory.

Oladipo added eight rebounds and seven assists, while Turner finished with six rebounds and two blocks. He also halted the Knicks’ momentum on a fast break in the fourth quarter, sprinting across the court to disrupt Emmanuel Mudiay’s layup attempt that would have cut the Pacers’ lead to four points late in the game.

Nets 144, Hawks 127

New York — D’Angelo Russell scored 32 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 18 and Brooklyn beat Atlanta for its fifth straight victory.

Joe Harris had 16 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 15. The Nets have won five straight for the first time since March 25-April 2, 2015.

Kings 120, Mavericks 113

Dallas — Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox each scored 28 points and Sacramento ended Dallas’ 11-game home winning streak.

The Kings also spoiled the return of Dirk Nowitzki to the American Airlines Center. The 21-year veteran played his first home game after missing the first 26 games of the season while recovering from ankle surgery.

Heat 102, Pelicans 96

New Orleans — Josh Richardson scored 22 points, Dwyane Wade added 19 in what was likely his final game in New Orleans, and Miami beat the Pelicans.

Hassan Whiteside had 17 points and 12 rebounds in his matchup with Anthony Davis.

Nuggets 95, Raptors 86

Denver — Nikola Jokic scored 26 points, Jamal Murray had 15 of his 19 in the fourth quarter and banged-up Denver rallied past equally banged-up Toronto in a contest between conference leaders.

Trailing 70-57 in the third quarter, the Nuggets went on a 23-2 run to send them to their 10th win in 12 games and retain a slim lead over Golden State in the Western Conference.

This marks the latest the Nuggets (20-9) have been in first place in the West since Dec. 18, 1984, according to information by Elias Sports Bureau.

Kawhi Leonard had 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors, who finished 2-2 on their trip. They still own the league’s best mark at 23-9.

Murray led the charge with eight straight points early in the fourth. The defense stepped up, too, as the Raptors didn’t score their first field goal in the final quarter until Leonard’s dunk with 7:42 remaining.

Toronto pulled to 86-83 with 3:28 left, but Mason Plumlee’s layup gave Denver some breathing room. The Raptors were 4 of 23 from the field in the fourth quarter, including 1 of 13 from 3-point land.

Both teams had several key players on the bench due to injuries. The Raptors were without Kyle Lowry (thigh), Pascal Siakam (back), Fred VanVleet (back) and Jonas Valanciunas (thumb).

The Nuggets didn’t have Will Barton (right hip/core muscle surgery), Gary Harris (hip) and Paul Millsap (big toe).

Not that Nuggets coach Michael Malone gave it much thought.

“Teams look at us right now with players out, and they think they can show up and beat us,” Malone said. “We’ve shown teams, ‘No, that’s not the case.’ We have more than enough players that are going to go out there and battle and compete.”

The Nuggets beat the Raptors 106-103 on Dec. 3 in Toronto. In that game, Jokic had 23 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds.

Jokic was a handful again. He also had nine rebounds.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Danny Green was given a technical foul in the third quarter. He was poked in the eye by Monte Morris early in the fourth quarter. … C Serge Ibaka fouled out with 1:37 remaining. He was given a technical after the call. … Delon Wright got the start and had 15 points.

Nuggets: Plumlee had 10 points and seven rebounds.

INJURY UPDATE, PART I

Barton could return to the lineup in the next week or 10 days. He had surgery on Oct. 23 to repair core and hip muscle injuries.

“It would be great to have him back,” Malone said. “He’s such a versatile part of what we do.”

INJURY UPDATE, PART II

Raptors coach Nick Nurse doesn’t expect Lowry or Siakam to miss much time. Lowry sat out his second game with a bruised thigh, while Siakam was sidelined after experiencing back stiffness following a hard fall in Portland.

“There’s nothing seriously wrong with either one of them,” Nurse said. “There’s just some soreness.”

UP NEXT

Raptors: Host Indiana on Wednesday.

Nuggets: Close out a four-game homestand on Tuesday against Dallas.

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