The Philadelphia 76ers saw the energy drain inside Xfinity Mobile Arena by falling behind by 29 points. Tyrese Maxey even engaged in a shoving match with ex-Sixer James Harden. But Philly fought back and made NBA history on Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 76ers stormed back in epic fashion to win 114-106. And in the process have rewritten the history books in the NBA.
“The Sixers are are the first team in NBA history to overcome a 20+ point halftime deficit to win their home opener,” the account OptaSTATS posted on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter.
Cleveland raced to a 69-45 lead at the half, drawing out the boo birds inside the arena. And the Cavs jumped out to that lead in the 76ers home debut of LeBron James. But Philly and coach Nick Nurse got the Sixers to clamp down on defense in impressive fashion.
The Sixers bottled the Cavs to a combined 37 second half points, as Philly outscored them 74-37 the rest of the way. Furthermore, this now becomes the 76ers' largest comeback victory since the 1997-98 season. That's also the year Cleveland blew its biggest lead in a single game.
But more astonishing for Philly? The 76ers rise as the first team in 66 tries to wipe away a 20+ point halftime deficit and win their home season opener.
Tyrese Maxey dropped 32 points and dished out six assists to lead the way. Joel Embiid delivered 24 points including banking this late basket on one leg.
Article Continues BelowJoel Embiid hits the one-legged fade over Jarrett Allen for 24 points 🔥
Sixers lead the Cavs by 6 with 2:11 left. pic.twitter.com/yy9CTjN03Z
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 23, 2026
Jaylen Brown also had his own home debut for Philly, scoring 21 points after coming over via the Boston Celtics by trade. James put together the double-double of 17 points with 10 rebounds.

