PHILADELPHIA — Down by 29 points and booed off their home court at halftime, the Philadelphia 76ers staged a historic second-half turnaround Thursday night to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106.
Guard Tyrese Maxey spearheaded the rally, leading all scorers with 32 points and six assists. The victory marked the largest comeback in 76ers history during the play-by-play era, which began in the 1997-98 season, and set a franchise record for the biggest blown lead in Cavaliers history, ESPN reported. It also stands as the largest comeback victory in the 24-year NBA career of forward LeBron James.
From boos to pandemonium
Coming off a season-opening road victory over the New York Knicks, Philadelphia stumbled badly early in its home opener. The Cavaliers surged ahead behind guard Donovan Mitchell, who poured in 30 points across the first three quarters. Philadelphia committed 15 first-half turnovers, its highest total in an opening half since January 2024, according to ESPN.
Cleveland took a 69-45 advantage into the intermission, tying the largest halftime margin in a season-opening half in Cavaliers history. Fans inside the arena showered the home team with boos as the players headed to the locker room.
According to OptaSTATS, Philadelphia became the first franchise in NBA history to overcome a halftime deficit of 20 or more points to win a home opener.
“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.”
— Tyrese Maxey, via ESPN
Defensive adjustments ignite the rally
Philadelphia emerged from the break with an altered approach orchestrated by head coach Nick Nurse. The 76ers switched defensive assignments, using James to defend Cleveland’s frontcourt and Joel Embiid against perimeter players, PHLY Sports reported. After allowing 1.08 points per direct pick-and-roll in the opening half, the Sixers clamped down, limiting the Cavaliers to 0.56 points on those actions in the second half, according to GeniusIQ data reported by ESPN.
The defensive clampdown limited Cleveland to only 37 points over the final two quarters. Mitchell was held to just two points in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia, meanwhile, conceded only two second-half turnovers while forcing 15 from the Cavaliers, according to ESPN.
A 37-21 third-quarter surge pulled Philadelphia within striking distance. Embiid, who finished with 24 points, sank a 16-foot jump shot over center Jarrett Allen with 6:54 remaining in regulation to give the 76ers their first lead of the night.
Jaylen Brown added 21 points in his Philadelphia home debut after being acquired via trade from the Boston Celtics, while James contributed a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, ClutchPoints and The Sporting News reported.
Setting the tone for the season
Across NBA history, the 29-point turnaround ranks in a tie for the 13th-largest comeback between the regular season and playoffs, according to The Sporting News. For Philadelphia, it is the team’s largest comeback since wiping away a 30-point deficit against Boston in March 1988.
Following the game, players acknowledged the emotional lift from the home crowd once the momentum shifted.
“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.”
— Joel Embiid, via ESPN
James cautioned that while the resilience was encouraging, the 76ers must avoid falling into such steep holes as the 82-game regular season unfolds. Now sitting at 2-0, Philadelphia looks to integrate its high-profile rotation further in the coming weeks while finding more consistency out of the gate.
