LeBron James wins 76ers home debut as Philadelphia erase 29-point deficit

The Philadelphia 76ers came back from 29 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday, giving LeBron James a win in his first home game since he joined the club as a free agent.

The result came hours after US President Donald Trump accused James, a four-time NBA champion, of disrespecting the United States national anthem in a game earlier this season. Al Jazeera said it had asked the 76ers for a response to the criticism of their star; James has not made any statement or offered any response himself.

Tyrese Maxey led the scoring with 32 points and Joel Embiid added 24, including a jump shot with 6:54 left that put Philadelphia in front for the first time in the game. The Sixers did not give up the lead again.

Jaylen Brown, the team's other major off-season signing, scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds. James contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Al Jazeera reported the turnaround was the biggest comeback by the 76ers since play-by-play records began in 1996, and also the largest of James's career.

'You don't want to rely on that'

James called it a good win but said he did not want his team to depend on such recoveries, while praising its refusal to quit. "You don't want to rely on that," he said. "But you don't want to put yourself in too many of those situations."

Cleveland, who had hoped to sign the hometown star after he announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers following eight seasons, started strongly. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 of his 32 points before half-time as the Cavaliers took control.

Embiid looked short of sharpness, and James gave up five of Philadelphia's 15 first-half turnovers, which Cleveland converted into 22 points. Home fans booed a team whose title hopes have risen with the arrivals of James and Brown.

The mood changed in the third quarter, when the 76ers opened with an 11-0 run. Maxey's back-to-back baskets cut the gap to single figures at 80-73, and his running finger-roll layup with 2:33 left in the period brought Philadelphia within two. Cleveland then scored six unanswered points to lead 90-82 going into the fourth.

Philadelphia outscored Cleveland 60-37 after half-time while committing only two turnovers, having beaten the reigning champion Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Evan Mobley scored 18 for Cleveland but only three after the break, while Jarrett Allen managed 14 and none in the second half.

"We stayed together. That's the main thing," Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe said, describing the game as an early-season test his team overcame.

Thunder edge Nuggets as Gilgeous-Alexander streak ends

In Oklahoma City, the Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 96-84 despite a poor shooting night from two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which ended his run of 141 games with at least 20 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander missed all seven of his first-half attempts and was 2-of-13 through three quarters. Jalen Williams scored a game-high 21 points as Oklahoma City took a 70-64 lead into the fourth. Gilgeous-Alexander made four of six shots in the final quarter to finish with 17 points, his first regular-season game below 20 since October 30, 2024, when he scored 18 against San Antonio.

Denver's three-time MVP Nikola Jokic made five of 19 attempts for 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 20 points.

Source: Al Jazeera.