Philadelphia’s new four-star closing group needed one half to find its footing, then buried Cleveland under a fourth-quarter run that turned LeBron James’ home debut into the largest comeback in 76ers play-by-play history. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and James combined for 94 points as the Sixers erased a 29-point hole for a 114-106 win.
The Sixers trailed by 24 at halftime after coughing the ball up 14 times in the first two quarters. Donovan Mitchell had Cleveland in control with 32 points and 10 rebounds, but Philadelphia came out of the break with a 37-21 third period and finally had the building back in the game.
Maxey’s message before the fourth was that the group was about to learn its identity. The answer came quickly: Philadelphia opened the last quarter on a 20-5 push. Embiid, Brown, James and Maxey all had a turn in the finish.
Embiid scored 24 points with seven rebounds, Maxey posted 32 points and six assists, Brown added 21 points and eight boards, and James finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Embiid and Brown supplied 32 second-half points between them, including the scoring that powered a 15-0 fourth-quarter surge.
Embiid knocked down three straight field goals, the last a jumper that gave Philadelphia its first lead. Brown followed with three consecutive baskets of his own, and Maxey punctuated the sequence with a running finger roll. In 4:10, the Sixers went from six down to nine ahead, taking a 104-95 lead with 4:06 remaining.
Philadelphia won the second half 69-37, moved to 2-0 after its opening victory over defending champion New York at Madison Square Garden, and completed the franchise’s biggest recovery since play-by-play records began in 1997-98.
From the locker room
James had talked at Media Day about the need for every star to give something up if the Sixers want to chase a meaningful goal together. The comeback looked like the first real test of that idea: the possessions moved from Maxey to Embiid to Brown, with James working the glass and organizing the group.
James called the Philadelphia debut everything he had hoped for, and then some, describing it as a memorable night in front of the home crowd.
Across the league in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 141-game streak of scoring at least 20 points ended, but the Thunder still handled Denver, 96-84. Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting, ending a run that started Nov. 1, 2024 and lasted 718 days.
Oklahoma City held Denver to 36 points after halftime and just 37.8% shooting for the game. Nikola Jokić was limited to 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 5-for-19 shooting. Denver did not score fewer than 87 points in any game last season and shot at least 40% in all 82 contests.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 21 points and five rebounds. Chet Holmgren provided 12 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. Coach Mark Daigneault said a physical, reliable defense gives a team a chance every night, and he felt his club showed exactly that against Denver.
Gary Payton saw the same edge in Oklahoma City’s work, saying the Thunder pressure opponents chest-to-chest and do not retreat. He compared that posture to his Seattle teams in the 1990s. Payton also noted that Jokić will locate open teammates and said Oklahoma City is playing with extra motivation after its seven-game elimination against San Antonio.
Friday’s board
The first Prime doubleheader of the season carries a 12-game schedule. Boston hosts New York at 7 ET in the 503rd meeting of a rivalry between two cities that have produced two of the past three NBA champions.
Paul George opened his Boston tenure with 38 points on 12-for-21 shooting, although Detroit beat the Celtics on Tuesday. Jayson Tatum went 6-for-23 in that loss after an abbreviated prior season in which he shot 41.1% from the field. Tatum said it was not one of his stronger games, while adding that he liked many of the looks he created.
The Knicks are also coming off a six-point loss, beaten by Philadelphia while beginning their championship defense. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson recorded 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. Brunson viewed the defeat as a useful reminder for a champion that must accept the pressure of being the team everyone targets.
At 9:30 ET, Kevin Durant’s Rockets meet Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs in Austin. Durant returns to the city where he played at Texas two decades ago, now in his 20th NBA season. The 16-time All-Star opened with 30 points in a win over Dallas, while Wembanyama has said Durant was his favorite player growing up.
San Antonio is seeking its first win after opening with a loss to Oklahoma City.
Edwards and Haliburton return to the floor
Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are both back in action at 7 ET on League Pass. Minnesota visits Orlando, while Indiana hosts Dallas.
Edwards opened his season with 45 points and nine made 3-pointers against Miami, setting a Timberwolves record for points in a season opener. It was his 30th career 40-point game and his 20th since the start of the 2024-25 campaign. Karl-Anthony Towns is next on Minnesota’s career list with 13 such games.
Edwards has now scored 40 or more in consecutive season openers, matching a feat last achieved by Michael Jordan. His new partnership with LaMelo Ball also showed up in the shot quality. Edwards averaged 9.9 open or wide-open attempts per game last season; in the opener, he received 13, including 12 from 3-point range.
Edwards said Ball is, in his view, the league’s best point guard and that he has to capitalize on the opportunities Ball creates.
Haliburton’s opener was his first game since tearing his right Achilles tendon in the 2025 Finals. Indiana had trailed by 10 in the third quarter, but Haliburton scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth and helped fuel a 15-3 closing run. His go-ahead three-point play came with 1:24 left, and the Pacers did not trail again.
With Haliburton leading the group in 2024-25, Indiana posted a league-high 13 comebacks from deficits of at least 15 points, including five in the playoffs — an NBA postseason record. Haliburton said a moment of perspective while on the court reminded him simply that he was back playing. Coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton still had enough left late and called the finish spectacular.
Opening-night notes
New York’s championship celebration at Madison Square Garden marked the franchise’s first title in 53 years. Former Knick Jamal Crawford said watching the banner go up was surreal and felt as though the fan base had been handed a second celebration.
Crawford also pointed to James’ engagement away from the ball in his 24th season, highlighting his communication and leadership on every possession. His other early read on New York: Brunson and the Knicks have to embrace the scrutiny that comes with defending a championship.
Two early statistical markers also stood out around the league. The expected effective field-goal percentage on Lakers shots created by Luka Dončić passes was 78.1%, the best figure among 88 players who had assisted at least 10 shots through the first two days. Ty Jerome’s 45-point game came after he had averaged 33.0 points per 36 minutes across 16 career games with Memphis.
Jerome and the Grizzlies visit Stephen Curry’s Warriors at 10 ET. Dončić and the Lakers host the Clippers at the same time in the season’s first Battle of Los Angeles.
Tuesday’s 76ers-Knicks and Thunder-Spurs opening-night doubleheader averaged 6.41 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, the most-watched NBA opening night on record. In Washington, Trae Young will receive his third NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award before the Wizards host Toronto at 7 ET, honoring his offseason community work.
