LeBron James debuts at home as 76ers rally from 29 points down to beat Cavaliers

A 29-point comeback in the first home game

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 after trailing by 29 points late in the first half. Cleveland led 69-45 at half-time, and the home crowd booed the 76ers from the court. Philadelphia took the lead for the first time with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter, on an Embiid jumper, and never gave it up. Cleveland cut the deficit to 106-102, but the 76ers outscored the Cavaliers 69-37 in the second half. It is the largest comeback win of LeBron James's 24-season NBA career and the largest by the 76ers in the play-by-play era, which began in 1996-97.

James and the home debut

James scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists in his first home game for Philadelphia, his fourth franchise. He scored 12 points after half-time, and Jaylen Brown scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half. James joined the 76ers on a two-year contract and described the night after the boos turned to cheers.

We got the boos. That was amazing and we deserved it.

The 76ers had opened the season with a 106-100 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, spoiling the defending champions' homecoming. Coach Nick Nurse said the team is used to tuning out outside noise and credited the focus and intent of the players.

All I really care about is getting to the practice floor, getting them in the film room, getting them to the game floor.

Trump's criticism of James

President Donald Trump labelled James a total disgrace for his conduct during the national anthem before the season opener against the Knicks. Trump also said James should apologise to those who died for the American flag. James answered on 22 October, the night after the win, with a jab at the criticism.

It must be a slow news day at the office.

Scorers on both sides

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 32 points, while Joel Embiid added 24 points and seven rebounds. Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points with 10 rebounds and Evan Mobley had 18 points and eight rebounds. Peyton Watson struggled in his Cavaliers debut with 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Cleveland's position

Mitchell signed a four-year, $273 million extension with Cleveland in summer 2026. Watson arrived in a sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets during the offseason, as Cleveland's backup plan after James chose Philadelphia over Cleveland, the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves in free agency. The Cavaliers had led by 22 with about eight minutes left in Game 1 of the 2026 Eastern Conference finals, five games before this season opener, and lost that game.