With LeBron James and Kyrie Irving sidelined and guard Dion Waiters headed out in a three-team trade, the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a tough NBA loss to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers.
Tony Wroten's go-ahead layup with 9.9 seconds to play gave former Australian Boomers coach Brett Brown's 76ers a 95-92 win on Monday - their first home victory of the season.
But it was the Cavaliers who were in the spotlight thanks to the trade that sent Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal that also involved the slumping New York Knicks.
The Cavaliers acquired guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith from the Knicks and a 2015 first-round draft pick from the Thunder.
In exchange, Cleveland send Waiters to the Thunder and little-used reserves Lou Amundson and Alex Kirk and their own 2019 second-round draft pick to the Knicks.
New York will also receive forward Lance Thomas from Oklahoma City.
The Cavaliers are hoping to bolster their bench with the deal in adding Smith, a former sixth-man of the year, and boost their defence with Shumpert.
Cleveland have endured a rocky campaign since four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James opted to return to his home state and the club where he started his NBA career after four years in Miami.
Injuries have played a role.
James missed Monday's game as he continues to recover from back and knee trouble while Irving sat out with tightness in his back.
The Cavs are also coping with the absence of Brazilian big man Anderson Varejao, who is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Kevin Love had 28 points and 19 rebounds for the Cavs, who nevertheless lost for the fifth time in six games.
Cavs coach David Blatt said playing the game amid the trade reports -- and with the players involved pulled from the contest at the last minute, was tough.
The trade talk didn't help the struggling Knicks either.
The Memphis Grizzlies handed the New York Knicks a 12th straight defeat, 105-83, in Memphis.
The Knicks, dealing with injuries to top scorers Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, matched their club-record losing streak established in the 1984-85 season as their record fell to a league-worst 5-32.
Anthony missed a third straight game with a sore left knee, while Stoudemire missed his sixth straight with a knee injury.
About half an hour before tip-off, Smith and Samuel Dalembert were pulled from the game, with the Knicks reported to be waiving Dalembert to save $2 million on his contract.
In New York, German forward Dirk Nowitzki passed Moses Malone for seventh place on the NBA's all-time scoring list on Monday, lifting Dallas to a 96-88 overtime victory over Brooklyn.
Nowitzki had tied Malone (27,409) for seventh place on the scoring list with 12 points in regulation.
He passed the Hall of Famer with his three-pointer with 34.8 seconds remaining in overtime.
