76ers Erase 29-Point Deficit to Beat Cavaliers in LeBron James’ Home Debut
LeBron James played his first home game for the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, and the Sixers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 after trailing by 29 points. It was the home opener at Xfinity Mobile Arena and the first home game for both James and Jaylen Brown.
$4,000 seats and a powder toss
Lower-bowl tickets were listed on resale markets for around $4,000. Matt Cord, the team’s longtime public address announcer, came back for another season after the Sixers added James and Brown. Before tipoff, James did his pregame powder toss and the crowd erupted.
Down 24 at the half
Cleveland led 35-18 after the first quarter and 69-45 at halftime. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 of his 32 points in the first half. The lead reached 29, and the home crowd booed before the break.
The third quarter turns it
James took control of the offense after halftime. Philadelphia outscored Cleveland 37-21 in the third, with much of the scoring coming in transition off Cleveland turnovers. James scored 10 points in the quarter, Tyrese Maxey scored nine and Brown scored seven. The deficit was down to two at one point.
Embiid and Maxey close it out
Joel Embiid scored seven straight points in the fourth to put the Sixers up 96-95 with 6:41 left. Maxey’s defense set off a 15-0 run in the same quarter. Brown scored 10 of his 21 points in the final period.
Maxey finished with 32 points and Embiid had 24. James had 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Every Sixers starter scored in double figures.
Where it ranks
It was the biggest comeback win of James’ career. The Sixers are the first team in 66 tries to win a home opener after trailing by 20 or more at halftime. Reports conflict on the franchise ranking. Some list it as the largest comeback in Sixers history, with the old record at 26 points against Indiana in 2008. Others list it as the second largest.
Philadelphia is 2-0, with wins over the champion Knicks and the Eastern Conference finalist Cavaliers. The Sixers host Milwaukee on Saturday and Detroit on Sunday.
