A depleted 76ers lineup gave him a valiant chance.

But the Cleveland Cavaliers came out on top again Wednesday, coming back from a 54-48 halftime deficit to hold off Philadelphia. for a 114-106 victory. With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 13-0 to maintain the sixth-best start to a season in NBA history.

The Cavaliers are now one win away from tying the fourth-best start in league history. The 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks and 1957-58 Boston Celtics both got off to a 14-0 start. The 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols are tied for the second-best start in league history at 15-0.

The Cavaliers still have a long way to go to reach the all-time record. The Stephen Curry-led 2015-16 Golden State Warriors started 24-0 en route to a 73-9 campaign for the most wins in a single season in NBA history.

This historic season did not produce a championship. LeBron James’ Cavaliers upset the Warriors in the NBA Finals that season for the franchise’s only championship. For now, these Cavaliers can continue to enjoy their own story amid a torrid start that few saw coming.

Darius Garland sparked Cleveland with a 13-point third quarter to rally the Cavs after a slow first half. He finished with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Mitchell overcame a poor shooting start to finish one assist short of a triple-double. He made three 3-pointers in the game’s final three minutes to extend Cleveland’s lead and stave off a late 76ers rally. He finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Both have been integral parts of Cleveland’s unbeaten streak alongside Evan Mobley, who is in the midst of his best four NBA seasons since joining the Cavaliers with the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft 2021. Mobley finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block. The Cavs shot 49.4% from the field and 16 of 40 (40%) from 3-point range in the win.

The 76ers played with a makeshift starting lineup as All-Stars Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all sat in street clothes. Backup center Andre Drummond was a late scratch due to illness.

Both Embiid and George were seated with what the team termed “injury management” the second night of a back-to-back game. Both played in Tuesday’s loss to the New York Knicks as Embiid made his season debut. Maxey missed the game with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for several weeks.

Guerschon Yabusele, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jared McCain started for Philadelphia with the team’s All-Stars sidelined. McCain took over in Embiid’s absence the last few games and had the best game of his rookie season with 34 points and 10 assists. But it wasn’t enough to defeat the red-hot Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers will look to extend their streak again when they host the Chicago Bulls on Friday.