PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The road to the NBA finals in the East has to go through Cleveland.
LeBron James had 27 points and 10 assists, Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 18 and the Cavaliers beat the struggling Philadelphia 76ers 102-92 Friday night to clinch the No. 1 playoff seed and home-court advantage in the conference.
No team has played better at home this season than the Cavs. They're 38-1 at Quicken Loans Arena, with the only loss coming against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 8. Cleveland (64-15) entered with a half-game lead over the Lakers for the best record in the league.
Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 26. The Sixers (40-39) have lost four straight since clinching a playoff berth. They came in one game behind Miami for fifth place in the East.
Andre Miller and Lou Williams each had 17 for Philadelphia, and Mo Williams had 18 for the Cavs.
Playing before a rare packed house -- it was the first sellout at the Wachovia Center this season -- that came to see James, the Sixers kept it close, but never led after the opening quarter.
The Cavaliers return home to host the defending champion Boston Celtics on Sunday. They'll play at Indiana on Monday and finish the regular season at home against the Sixers on Wednesday. If the Cavs win their final two games in Cleveland, they will match the NBA's best all-time home record set by the 1985-86 Celtics.
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The Sixers hope to end their skid when they visit Toronto on Sunday. They'll host Boston on Tuesday and finish off at Cleveland.
Associated Press
