LeBron's 76ers erase 29-point deficit to stun Cavaliers as SGA's 20-point streak ends in Thunder win

The Philadelphia 76ers produced the comeback of the NBA's opening week on Thursday night. They were 29 points down to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half and won 114-106 in their home opener, moving to 2-0. On the same night, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 96-84 in their home opener, although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's long run of 20-point games ended.

How Philadelphia came back from 29 down

Cleveland were 69-45 up at half-time, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 22 of his 32 points before the break. The Sixers had missed 11 of their 15 three-pointers and turned the ball over 14 times in the first half.

The second half was very different. Philadelphia won the third quarter 37-21 and the fourth 32-16. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 32 points and started a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter. Joel Embiid scored 24, including the baskets that gave Philadelphia its first lead of the night. Jaylen Brown added 21 points, 10 of them in the fourth.

LeBron James, in his first home game for Philadelphia after signing a two-year veteran-minimum deal, had 17 points and 10 rebounds. ESPN said it was the largest comeback win of his career. It came against the Cavaliers, the club where he won one of his four NBA titles.

There was some needle too. James Harden, now with Cleveland, and his former teammate Maxey had to be separated in the fourth quarter. Harden finished with 16 points, Evan Mobley 18 and Jarrett Allen 14. Mitchell, who also had 10 rebounds, missed two late free throws as Cleveland tried to respond.

Thunder win without SGA at his best

In Oklahoma City, the two-time reigning MVP had an unusually quiet night. Gilgeous-Alexander missed all seven of his first-half shots and finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting. According to AP, it was the first time in 141 games that he had failed to score 20, ending a run of 140 straight.

The Thunder found other answers. Jalen Williams scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren had 12 points and 17 rebounds. Denver were playing their first game of the season. Aaron Gordon led them with 20 points, while Nikola Jokic and DeMar DeRozan scored 13 each. Gilgeous-Alexander's late three-pointer made it 93-76 before he came out of the game. Oklahoma City are 2-0 after winning 116-104 in San Antonio on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in opening week

Wednesday's games included big wins for Toronto (135-92 over Chicago) and Portland (124-83 over Phoenix). The Lakers beat Golden State 127-105, the Clippers beat Sacramento 121-96 and Houston beat Dallas 128-110. Detroit had already beaten Boston 121-113 on Tuesday.

Weekend games in Malaysia time

Malaysia is 12 hours ahead of US Eastern time. These games are on this weekend:

• Saturday 7am: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
• Saturday 10am: LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers, and Memphis at Golden State
• Sunday 7.30am: Milwaukee at Philadelphia, and Brooklyn at Cleveland
• Sunday 9am: New Orleans at Denver

Key takeaways

• The 76ers came back from 29 points down to beat the Cavaliers 114-106 and are 2-0.
• Maxey scored 32, Embiid 24 and LeBron James had 17 points and 10 rebounds in his first home game for Philadelphia.
• The Thunder beat the Nuggets 96-84 to go 2-0, with Jalen Williams scoring 21.
• Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17, ending a run of 140 straight games with at least 20 points.
• The 76ers host the Bucks at 7.30am on Sunday, Malaysia time.

FAQ

How big was the 76ers' comeback against the Cavaliers? Philadelphia trailed by 29 points in the first half and were 69-45 down at half-time. They won the second half 69-37 and the game 114-106.

Why did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's streak end? He shot 6 of 19 and scored 17 points against Denver. It was the first time in 141 games that he finished with fewer than 20 points.

What time do the 76ers play next in Malaysia? Philadelphia host the Milwaukee Bucks at 7.30pm US Eastern time on Saturday, which is 7.30am on Sunday 25 October in Malaysia.

Sources: ESPN, Associated Press, Yahoo Sports, Land of Basketball