76ers erase 29-point deficit to beat Cavaliers in LeBron James home debut

Philadelphia overturned a 29-point deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday, giving LeBron James a winning home debut with the 76ers. Tyrese Maxey led the hosts with 32 points as they recovered from a first half that had prompted boos from their own supporters, according to BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH30RBSgNPQ

Cleveland held a 69-45 advantage at half-time, leaving Philadelphia 24 points behind despite the home side having already reduced its largest deficit. The Sixers then outscored the Cavaliers 69-37 across the final two quarters. BBC Sport reported that the recovery was the biggest comeback victory of James' 24-season NBA career and Philadelphia's largest in the play-by-play era, which began in 1996-97.

Joel Embiid supplied the decisive change of lead. Yahoo Sports reported that seven consecutive points from the centre put Philadelphia ahead 96-95 in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown followed with a fadeaway jumper, a driving layup and another midrange basket, extending the advantage to seven. A 15-0 run eventually carried the Sixers to a 104-95 lead, turning a game they had spent chasing into one they could close out.

The Cavaliers still cut the gap to 106-102, but Philadelphia protected its lead to complete the comeback. Brown, also making his home debut for the franchise, finished with 21 points. Seventeen came after the interval, including 10 in the final quarter, BBC Sport reported. That late contribution helped the hosts sustain their turnaround rather than allowing Cleveland to reclaim control in the closing stages.

Embiid finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Maxey added six assists to his team-leading scoring total, according to Yahoo Sports. James contributed 17 points, five assists and three steals. The scoring was spread across Philadelphia's four leading names: Maxey, Embiid and Brown each finished above James, whose first appearance before his new home crowd ended with a win against one of his former teams.

Philadelphia has now opened the season with two victories. Before the comeback against Cleveland, the Sixers beat the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100 on opening night. James, who joined Philadelphia on a two-year contract, described the home debut afterwards as exceeding his expectations, BBC Sport reported.