Sixers win season-high fourth in a row

CLEVELAND – Before the game was seven minutes old, 76ers coach Doug Collins already had three of his bench players in the game and a fourth waiting at the scorers' table.

Collins had to look for something, anything to get his players moving. They were getting pushed around, couldn't make a shot and looked as though they were trudging through the foot of snow that lay outside Quicken Loans Arena.

But Collins' subs came in and did what they have been doing most of the year, quickly turning a 12-point deficit into a one-point game at the end of the first quarter. The ship had been righted and the starters were saved in what became a 95-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Phillies relievers do as well as the Sixers', a parade is a foregone conclusion.

After starting the game making just 3 of 15 shots and falling behing 20-8, the Sixers made 12 of their next 18 and surged to a five-point lead. During that time the bench players scored 18 of the team's 22 points.

The win improved the Sixers to 30-29, the first time this season they have been over the .500 mark, quite an accomplishment after beginning the season 3-13. They have now won 13 of their last 17 games and have won four in a row for the first time this season.

Cleveland, which had won three of it's last five before yesterday, dropped to an NBA-worst 11-48.

The Sixers built the lead to as many as 15 in the second half, but the Cavs were able to trim it to three at 84-81 on a layup and free throw by Daniel Gibson. But Jrue Holiday then made a tough driving layup in traffic and after a steal, Jodie Meeks drained a three-pointer to push lead back to eight.

Cleveland again got to within three at 91-88 and got possession of the ball with 29.3 seconds left on an offensive foul by Andre Iguodala. But Thaddeus Young got a steal on J.J. Hickson with 12.5 seconds left and Jrue Holiday hit two foul shots at 11.1 for a 93-88 lead. Daniel Gibson then hit a three to trim it to two points, but Jodie Meeks made two foul shots down the end to secure the win.

Elton Brand and Lou Williams led the Sixers with 16 points. Meeks added 14 while Holiday posted 13 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Young made 6-of-8 from the floor en route to 12 points. Young has now made 50 of his last 73 shots over the past six games. Evan Turner also scored 10.

J.J. Hickson scored 22 and snared 16 rebounds to lead Cleveland, while Ramon Sessions collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists

Six shots

Elton Brand left the game briefly in the third quarter and went to the locker room after dislocating his right (shooting) pinkie . . . Antawn Jamison had to leave the game in the third quarter after fracturing a finger on his right hand. He had scored 12 points in 19 minutes . . . The New York Knicks and the Sixers are the only two teams in the NBA the Cavaliers have beaten multiple times . . . The Cavaliers are 6-8 against the Atlantic Division this season, 5-40 against everyone else . . . Darius Songaila has been keeping an extra eye on the NASCAR circuit lately as his next-door neighbor in Charlotte is Kurt Busch, who had the pole spot for last week's Daytona 500.