Tyrese Maxey set the tone with 32 points, Joel Embiid added 24, and the Philadelphia 76ers ripped off an unforgettable rally from 29 down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in Thursday night’s home opener.
The comeback was the kind of jolt that can flip a building in a hurry. After falling behind by as many as 29, the Sixers kept chipping away until the game turned late in the fourth quarter, when they finally seized control with a 15-0 run. Maxey was right in the middle of it, hounding on defense and helping ignite the surge that left Cleveland scrambling.
Embiid’s stretch sealed the shift. He scored seven straight points in the fourth to pull Philadelphia within 96-95, and from there the Sixers completed a comeback that already has a strong claim as one of the biggest of the season. Philadelphia has now opened with wins over the NBA champion Knicks and the Eastern Conference finalist Cavaliers.
LeBron James finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in what became the biggest comeback win of his career, while fellow newcomer Jaylen Brown scored 21. James, who flirted with a third stint in Cleveland before signing a two-year deal with the Sixers for the veteran minimum, was part of a night that had the arena buzzing well before tipoff. Tickets on secondary markets were listed for around $4,000 in the lower bowl, and the energy only intensified after the victory over New York.
James had his moments in the spotlight. The 41-year-old brought the crowd up with an uncontested two-handed dunk in the first half and later scored after Maxey forced a steal. He is now trying to add a fifth NBA title in Philadelphia after winning one of his four with the Cavaliers.
The game also nearly spilled over into a confrontation when Maxey and former Sixers teammate James Harden went nose-to-nose in the fourth quarter before being separated.
Cleveland led big because Donovan Mitchell was rolling early. He scored 32 points in the season opener, including 22 in the first half as the Cavaliers built their 29-point cushion. But Philadelphia’s defense tightened, the turnovers stopped piling up, and the crowd that had been booing late in the second quarter had a very different mood by the end.
The first half was rough for the Sixers on the perimeter, as they missed 11 of 15 3-pointers and committed 14 turnovers, compared with only 12 total against the Knicks.
There were even broadcast quirks to go with the chaos. A new lighting system at the 76ers’ arena appeared to give the court a blue tint and created heavy colorized streaks and reflections on the ESPN telecast.
Cleveland’s next stop is its home opener Saturday against Brooklyn. Philadelphia stays at home for back-to-back games this weekend, facing Milwaukee on Saturday and Detroit on Sunday.
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Sixers Home Opener Just Put VJ Edgecombe And LeBron To The Test
The Sixers home opener against Cleveland carried the usual early-season buzz, but one of the nights most memorable moments came in the third quarter when VJ Edgecombe ran into LeBron James and came away with a bloody nose. Edgecombe stayed on the floor, and the game kept its edge as Philadelphia tried to settle in at home against a Cavaliers team that brought plenty of star power with it.
By the fourth quarter, the margin was still tight, with Philadelphia holding a slim lead as both James and Edgecombe had already made their presence felt. It was the kind of opener that felt physical from the start, and for the Sixers it also served as an early test of how their young pieces handle a matchup that can turn chippy in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron And The Sixers Just Reopened A Painful Cavaliers What-If
A painful old thread resurfaced Tuesday night in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers watched a 29-point lead vanish in a 114-106 loss to the 76ers. Tyrese Maxey powered Philadelphia with 32 points, while LeBron James finished with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, another reminder of how quickly a game can swing when the margins tighten and a familiar star is on the floor.
Kenny Atkinsons offseason disappointment over missing out on LeBron adds another layer to the result for a Cavaliers team still chasing the kind of stability and star power that can prevent collapses like this one. For the Sixers, it was a useful road win and a sharp response after trailing big, but for Cleveland it also reopened a familiar what-if that never seems to go away. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Just Revealed How Close The Sixers Came To Losing Him
LeBron James added a little more context to one of the offseasons biggest moves, saying he sat down with the Cavaliers front office as he weighed his options before ultimately landing with the 76ers on a two-year deal. Clevelands championship hopes were part of what made the conversation worthwhile, which underscores just how wide open his decision really was before Philadelphia secured him.
For the 76ers, the revelation is another reminder that their summer swing came with real competition and real risk. James has already started paying it off on the floor, helping Philadelphia rally for a comeback win over Cleveland, and the early returns suggest the Sixers were as close to losing him as they were to landing a major piece for their push forward. [Read more 🡒]