Thursday night, Philadelphia. Down 24 at halftime. Up 8 at the end. 76ers 114, Cavaliers 106, and the new-look Sixers are 2-0.
Cleveland owned the first half. The Cavs led 35-18 after one quarter and 69-45 at the break. Then Philadelphia ripped the game apart: 37-21 in the third, 32-16 in the fourth, a 69-37 second half that turned a blowout into a rout of the other kind.
Tyrese Maxey's 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting is exactly the kind of ceiling line you re-check your fantasy lineup for. He added 6 assists and 2 steals, and he was plus-19 on a night the Sixers needed every bit of it.
Joel Embiid added 24 points and 7 rebounds on 8 of 16 shooting. Jaylen Brown put up 21 points and 8 rebounds on 10 of 20. LeBron James went for 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the 76ers' uniform. VJ Edgecombe stuffed the sheet with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.
For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell had 32 points and 10 rebounds on 11 of 19 shooting but coughed it up 5 times. Evan Mobley added 18 points and 8 rebounds. James Harden now runs the Cavs' backcourt with Mitchell, and he finished with 16 points, 5 assists and 6 turnovers. Jarrett Allen chipped in 14 points and 7 rebounds.
The deficit was real, and so was the response. Philadelphia's stars each took a turn in the second half: Maxey attacked, Embiid anchored, Brown filled the gaps. Cleveland's backcourt turned it over 11 times between Mitchell and Harden, and the Sixers turned those into the run that flipped the building.
The 76ers host the Bucks on Saturday night. After this one, nobody in the East is calling the new-look Sixers a work in progress anymore.
Key Facts
- Final: 76ers 114, Cavaliers 106 in Philadelphia
- The comeback: Cavs led 69-45 at halftime; Sixers won the second half 69-37 (37-21 in Q3, 32-16 in Q4)
- Maxey: 32 points, 12/23 FG, 6 assists, 2 steals
- Support: Embiid 24 and 7; Jaylen Brown 21 and 8; LeBron James 17/10/5 with 3 steals; VJ Edgecombe 11/7/6 with 3 steals
- Cavs: Donovan Mitchell 32 and 10 with 5 turnovers; Evan Mobley 18 and 8; James Harden 16 points with 6 turnovers
- Record: 76ers now 2-0; next is Bucks at home Saturday
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