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LeBron James got a taste of everything Philadelphia fans have to offer in his home debut with the 76ers, and he would not have it any other way.
The Sixers fell behind the Cleveland Cavaliers by as many as 29 points in the first half on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The home crowd let them hear it, booing as Philadelphia went into halftime trailing 69-45.
The mood flipped completely after the break. The Sixers outscored Cleveland 74-37 in the second half and stormed back for a 114-106 win, with the fans back on their feet for the rally.
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After the game, James reflected on the night and the reaction from the Philadelphia faithful.
“It was everything that I dreamed of and more. We got the boos. That was amazing. We deserved it. And then we had the cheers, and almost blew the roof off this thing tonight, in a good way. It was a hell of a night,” James said.
The crowd was loud from the start. Fans erupted before tipoff when James did his signature chalk toss, then turned on the team as the first-half deficit grew. Former Sixer James Harden, now with the Cavaliers, also heard plenty from the stands throughout the night.
James had a shaky start himself, committing three of the Sixers’ first five turnovers. He and Tyrese Maxey then sparked the third-quarter surge by pushing the pace in transition.
The four-time champion finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against the franchise he won a title with in 2016. James signed a two-year deal with Philadelphia for the veteran minimum this offseason.
Maxey led the Sixers with 32 points, while Joel Embiid added 24. Jaylen Brown, who also made his home debut after his trade from the Boston Celtics, chipped in 21 points.
The comeback was the biggest in franchise history in the play-by-play era, which dates back to the 1996-97 season.
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points for Cleveland, 22 of them in the first half.
The win moved Philadelphia to 2-0 after an opening victory over the New York Knicks. The Sixers will look to keep the home crowd happy when they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday and the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
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