The Philadelphia 76ers orchestrated the biggest comeback in the play-by-play era on Thursday, erasing a 29-point deficit to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106. The victory marked a memorable home debut for LeBron James, who joined the franchise as a free agent following eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron enjoys greatest comeback as Cleveland make life tough. Cleveland, disappointed not to have landed hometown hero James after he announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons, appeared to be on a mission to show him what he is missing.
The win arrived on a turbulent day for the NBA star, who had been publicly criticized by US President Donald Trump. Trump accused James of being a ‘disgrace’ for his perceived lack of respect toward the US national anthem during a previous game against the New York Knicks, where the player appeared to practice basketball and golf motions. James has not issued a personal response to the president’s remarks, and the Philadelphia 76ers have yet to provide a statement regarding the controversy.
On the court, the 76ers relied on a balanced offensive effort to recover from their early struggle.
Tyrese Maxey led the scoring with 32 points, while Joel Embiid added 24.
It was Embiid who delivered a crucial jump shot with 6:54 remaining in the game to give Philadelphia its first lead of the night. Jaylen Brown, another major off-season addition, contributed 21 points and eight rebounds, and James finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Reflecting on the team’s resilience, James noted, ‘You don’t want to rely on that. I think it’s great to know, deep down, we’re not going to have that quit mentality. But you don’t want to put yourself in too many of those situations.’ The Sixers’ other big off-season acquisition, scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds, and four-time NBA champion James added 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to help the 76ers author their biggest comeback of the play-by-play era, which started in 1996, former Celtics star Jaylen Brown. The league’s all-time leading scorer called it a good win – but not a position he wants to be in often. You never want to look around and say guys gave up. They cut the Cavs’ lead to single digits on back-to-back baskets from Maxey that pulled them within 80-73. Who beat the reigning champion Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, kept coming, but the 76ers.
The Cavaliers had initially dominated, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 22 of his 32 points in the first half to exploit 15 turnovers by the 76ers. However, Philadelphia shifted the momentum with an 11-0 run to start the third quarter and eventually outscored Cleveland 60-37 in the second half. Evan Mobley recorded 18 points for the Cavs, while Jarrett Allen added 14, though both were held scoreless in the final two quarters as the 76ers tightened their defense. The boos turned to raucous cheers as the re-energised 76ers opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run. Maxey reduced the deficit to two points with a running finger roll layup with 2:33 left in the third before Cleveland reeled off six straight points to take a 90-82 lead into the fourth quarter.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe emphasized the character shown by the squad, stating, ‘We stayed together. That’s the main thing. When it got worse, we could have given up. We didn’t. It’s an early season test, early season adversity, and we overcame it.’
Elsewhere in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a 96-84 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The game was notable for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose 141-game streak of scoring at least 20 points came to an end. The MVP struggled with his shot, hitting only 2-of-13 from the floor through three quarters before rallying for 10 points in the final period to finish with 17. His last regular-season game under 20 points occurred on October 30, 2024.
Jalen Williams paced the Thunder with a game-high 21 points to maintain their momentum. Denver struggled similarly, as three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was limited to 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting, alongside seven rebounds and five assists. Aaron Gordon served as the top scorer for the Nuggets with 20 points in the losing effort. Led by Jalen Williams’s game-high 21 points, took a 70-64 lead into the fourth quarter, nevertheless Oklahoma City.
