Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The Philadelphia 76ers made a statement as Joel Embiid piled on a 40-point triple-double as they won 103-93 over the Cleveland Cavaliers without new acquisition James Harden on Saturday.

Embiid scored 40 points with 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Sixers, who improve to 34-22. It was only Embiid's fourth career triple-double.

The Cameroonian center's points haul included a highlight-reel dunk, a one-handed throw-down over Jarrett Allen late in the first half.

Embiid also made four of five three-pointers, going at 50% from the field, and he added three steals in an outstanding game as Philly wait on Harden to be cleared medically to debut.

NBA NBA to return to China after six years with pre-season games

But that dunk had the NBA world talking and talking. Comparisons with Blake Griffin immediately sprang to mind, and Embiid was more than conscious of them: "I've always dreamed about watching Blake throwing the ball in the rim without even touching the rim," Embiid said, per NBC Sports .

"Back in the day, Lob City, I’ve always thought that it was extremely exciting and I’ve always wished that I could do it. But obviously they jump way higher than me. I saw the video. It was crazy. And it was cool that I was finally able to make my dreams come true."

Klay Thompson scored a season-high 33 points, marking a major milestone in his recovery from long-term injury, as the Golden State Warriors won 117-115 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson shot five-of-nine from beyond the arc, with Stephen Curry (24 points, five rebounds, eight assists) taking a backseat. LeBron James had 26 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists for the Lakers.

The Chicago Bulls, sitting second in the Eastern Conference, overcame a sluggish start as DeMar DeRozan scored 38 points with six rebounds and five assists, while Nikola Vucevic added 31 points and 15 rebounds in a 106-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Dončić scored 45 points with 15 rebounds and eight rebounds in a losing cause as the Dallas Mavericks went down 99-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers, while the table-topping Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight with a 132-105 win over the Orlando Magic led by Devin Booker's 26 points and Chris Paul's 15 assists.

NBA NBA Cup: Giannis shines as Bucks steal Oklahoma's thunder in dominant second half

Kyrie Irving led a late Brooklyn Nets charge that fell short as they went down 115-111 to the Miami Heat. Irving scored 29 points, including 20 in the final quarter, with five rebounds and five assists as the Nets slumped to their 11th straight defeat.

Bam Adebayo had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who have won five in a row.