The Philadelphia 76ers erased a 29-point deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday night, completing the largest comeback in the play-by-play era for the Sixers and the Cavaliers’ largest blown lead. It was also the largest comeback of LeBron James’ 24-year career.
The Sixers cut the deficit to 10 in the third quarter at Xfinity Arena. Tyrese Maxey started the surge by catching a pass from James in transition and, without taking a dribble, launching a 3-pointer. As the ball went through the net and forced a Cavaliers timeout, Maxey walked toward the fans behind the scorers’ table and screamed, with Jaylen Brown flanking him in celebration and Joel Embiid cheering on the other end of the court.
On a team laden with stars, Maxey became the conductor of a raucous crowd that followed his lead all night. He led all scorers with 32 points and added six assists.
“It was just a great moment,” Maxey said. “The crowd was into the game. We were just feeding off the crowd, feeding off our energy, feeding off our resilience.”
A Poor Start
Two nights after opening the season with a win over the reigning champion New York Knicks, the Sixers were outclassed in nearly every way to begin the game. They turned the ball over, could not get stops and missed layups. Brown managed just four points in his lowest-scoring first half at home since March 2025, while the Sixers committed 15 first-half turnovers, their most in a half since January 2024.
The Cavaliers led 69-45 at halftime. That tied their largest lead in a season-opening half in franchise history and matched their largest halftime lead over the 76ers in franchise history. As the half ended, the crowd, most of them wearing white opening night shirts printed with the Sixers roster and head coach Nick Nurse, booed loudly.
The Halftime Challenge
Maxey said he challenged his teammates during the intermission.
“I said, ‘Well, it’s time to see what we made of. Are we going to be some front-runners and only be happy when stuff is good? Or when stuff is bad, are we going to fight and be resilient?’ And we did that,” Maxey said.
The Sixers responded with a quarter that Brown said “shifted the game”. They opened the second half on an 8-0 run and outscored Cleveland 37-21 in the third quarter. Even so, they entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight. They did not take the lead until the 6:54 mark, when Embiid hit a 16-foot jump shot over centre Jarrett Allen, and they never relinquished it.
Defensive Adjustments
Nurse said the Sixers struggled in the first half to defend the Cavaliers’ mid-pick-and-roll plays. According to GeniusIQ, Cleveland ran 27 direct picks in the first half and averaged 1.08 points on them. In the second half, the Cavaliers ran 20 direct picks and averaged only 0.56 points. Nurse shifted the team’s defensive assignments, and the change worked.
The Cavaliers scored just 37 points in the second half. Donovan Mitchell, who had 30 points through three quarters, managed only two points in the fourth, and those came with the game already out of reach. The Sixers also turned the ball over only twice in the second half, compared with 15 times for Cleveland.
“They were just way, way, way tougher than us in the first half,” Maxey said. “They were just punking us honestly, and we did a good job of playing back second.”
Reaction
Embiid said the resilience on display was different from past Sixers teams he has played for during his 11-year career.
“No shade to anybody that’s been here, but in the past, a lot of people would’ve just laid down and tried to move on to the next one,” Embiid said. He added: “Yeah, it was different. I said last game, after the game, it just feels different.”
James, however, cautioned against relying on such nights.
“You don’t want to rely on that,” James said, laughing. “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.”
As the comeback unfolded, the boos turned into raucous cheers. Embiid called it a “top-three” night of his career, while guard VJ Edgecombe said it was the best atmosphere he has played in as a professional. James described Philadelphia as “one of the best sports cities”.
“I’ve been here for a long time. … I have no words,” Embiid said. “That was amazing.”