Cavaliers Hold LeBron James to 8 Points in His Return to Cleveland, Beat 76ers 119-95

By The Arena Staff

CLEVELAND, Nov. 6, 2026 — LeBron James got the chalk toss. Cleveland got everything else.

In his first game back at Rocket Arena as a visitor after signing with Philadelphia in free agency, James finished with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists and six turnovers as the Cavaliers rolled to a 119-95 Emirates NBA Cup win Friday night, the Associated Press and NBC Sports Philadelphia reported. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Evan Mobley added 22 points. The Cavaliers snapped the Sixers' five-game winning streak and moved to 1-0 in Cup group play.

James, who played 11 of his 24 seasons in Cleveland and chose Philadelphia over a third Cavaliers stint this summer, was cheered in pregame introductions and still threw the powder before tipoff — this time in Sixers colors. The night after that was mostly quiet. Cleveland opened with a 15-0 run and never trailed, outrebounding Philadelphia 56-42. Seven Cavaliers reached double figures. Mario Hezonja, filling minutes with Jarrett Allen out (right knee contusion), had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench, per NBA.com and NBC Sports.

Philadelphia dropped to 8-2 and 1-1 in Eastern Conference Group B. Jaylen Brown led the Sixers with 20 points. VJ Edgecombe scored 19, and Tyrese Maxey had 17. Joel Embiid went 0 for 9 from the field for just the second time in his career, finishing with six points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes. He did not play in the fourth. The Sixers shot 36.5 percent from the field and 10 of 40 from three (25 percent), NBC Sports Philadelphia reported. Adem Bona sat with a cervical spine sprain; Cleveland's Sam Merrill left at halftime with a right elbow injury.

The teams had already traded an October thriller in Philadelphia. This one never got close after the first quarter. James Harden scored 17 for the Cavaliers against his former franchise. Cleveland hosts the Knicks on Saturday; the Sixers finish their road trip Sunday in Chicago.

Sources: Associated Press, NBA.com and NBC Sports Philadelphia.