Booed at Halftime, the 76ers Erased a 29-Point Hole and Beat the Cavaliers in LeBron James' Philly Debut

By The Arena Staff

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 23, 2026 — The home crowd booed the Philadelphia 76ers off the floor at halftime Thursday night. By the final buzzer, the same fans were nearly shaking the building. Philadelphia came back from 29 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in its home opener, the Associated Press and BBC Sport reported.

The 76ers trailed 69-40 in the first half and 69-45 at the break. Then they outscored Cleveland 69-37 over the final two quarters, according to USA Today and BBC Sport.

It was the biggest comeback in 76ers history since the NBA's play-by-play era began in the late 1990s, and the biggest comeback win of LeBron James' record 24-season career, the AP and BBC Sport reported.

## How Rare Is This?

Very rare. USA Today, citing the AP's Tim Reynolds, reported that NBA teams had won 466 straight regular-season games in which they led by 29 points before Thursday. NBA.com's recap called it just the 10th time in the play-by-play era that a team has come back from 29 or more points down to win.

For the Cavaliers, one of last season's two Eastern Conference finalists, it was the biggest blown lead in franchise play-by-play history, USA Today reported.

## The Turn

Cleveland ran Philadelphia off the floor early. Donovan Mitchell had 22 points by halftime on his way to 32 points and 10 rebounds, according to the NBA.com box score.

Philadelphia did not lead again until just under seven minutes remained in the fourth quarter, BBC Sport reported. A 15-0 run, sparked by three straight baskets from Jaylen Brown, pushed the Sixers ahead 104-95. Cleveland cut it to 106-102, but Philadelphia held on.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 32 points. Joel Embiid added 24. Brown, also making his home debut after a summer trade from Boston, scored 17 of his 21 points after halftime, including 10 in the fourth quarter, according to BBC Sport.

## LeBron's Night

James, 41, finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals in his first home game for his fourth NBA franchise. He signed a two-year deal with Philadelphia this summer, the AP reported.

"We got the boos. That was amazing and we deserved it. And then we got the cheers and almost blew the roof off this thing, in a good way. It was a hell of a night," James said, according to BBC Sport. He called the night "everything that I dreamed of and more."

## A Loud Start

Philadelphia is 2-0. The Sixers opened the season with a 106-100 win over the defending champion New York Knicks on the night the Knicks raised their banner, then knocked off Cleveland. The AP noted that the Cavaliers win already may be tough for Philadelphia to top this season.

> What We Know
> - Final: 76ers 114, Cavaliers 106 (Thursday, Oct. 22)
> - Biggest deficit: 29 points (69-40), first half; 69-45 at halftime
> - Second half: Philadelphia 69, Cleveland 37
> - Record: Biggest comeback in 76ers play-by-play history (since the late 1990s) and biggest comeback win of LeBron James' career
> - Top scorers: Maxey 32, Mitchell 32 (with 10 rebounds), Embiid 24, Brown 21
> - James: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals in his Philadelphia home debut
> - Records: 76ers 2-0

Reported by AP News, BBC Sport, USA Today

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<small>Photo: Peetlesnumber1, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (2016 file photo of the 76ers' home arena).</small>