The in-form Cavaliers tame the 76ers and become the sixth NBA team to start the season 13-0 | Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland scored 25 points and Donovan Mitchell led the way as the Cleveland Cavaliers remained undefeated with a 114-106 road win over the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

Mitchell finished the game with 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for Cleveland (13-0), marking the NBA’s best start since the Golden State Warriors’ record-setting 24-game winning streak to start the 2015-16 season. The Cavaliers struggled through most of this first half before making a series of big shots when it mattered most.

Philadelphia battled hard without Joel Embiid (knee), Paul George (knee) and Tyrese Maxey (hamstring), but still lost for the ninth time in 11 games this season. The 76ers played on consecutive nights after losing to the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Rookie Jared McCain took advantage of the available playing time by scoring a career-high 34 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 20 and Caleb Martin contributed 18 points.

With Cleveland defending a 103-100 lead with less than three minutes to play, Mitchell scored three points on consecutive possessions to give the Cavaliers a 109-102 lead. He added a three-pointer with 1:18 left and then made a layup to make the score 114-104 with about a minute left.

Both teams made five three-pointers in the first quarter – the Cavs only needed eight attempts – and Cleveland led 31-27 after one period.

The Sixers started the second quarter with a 12-1 run. Reggie Jackson scored eight of those points for the hosts while Martin had the other four. Philadelphia led by as many as eight points in the second quarter and had a 54-48 lead heading into the locker room.

Early in the third quarter, Cleveland scored 10 straight points, punctuated by Garland’s floater, turning a seven-point deficit into a 62-59 lead. Garland scored 13 points in the third quarter for the visitors, who led 82-78 after three periods.

Mitchell found Ty Jerome for a three-pointer on the first possession of the fourth quarter and then dropped a jump shot on the next play to increase Cleveland’s lead to 87-78. However, Philadelphia fought back and got within 95-93 after a layup by Oubre with 6:47 to play.