Jaylen Brown summed up the Philadelphia 76ers’ wild comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in just a few words.

The Sixers trailed by as many as 29 points in the first half and went into the break down 69-45. They stormed back in the second half and beat the Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

After the game, Brown pointed to the mindset that carried Philadelphia through the deficit, via the NBA.

“All year, we just gotta handle adversity well,” the 2024 NBA Finals MVP said while walking to the dugout.

"All year, we just gotta handle adversity well."

Jaylen Brown after the Sixers pull off the franchise's biggest comeback in the play-by-play era (1996-97) 🗣

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/6NgJArqRQY

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 23, 2026

That message fits a Sixers group with plenty of new faces still learning how to play together early in the season.

It was the biggest comeback in franchise history in the play-by-play era, which dates back to the 1996-97 season. The Sixers also became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 20-plus-point halftime deficit to win their home opener, per OptaSTATS.

Brown had a rough start, missing his first five shots. He and Joel Embiid went a combined 5-of-18 from the field in the first half.

The veteran forward came alive when it mattered most. Brown hit a jumper that gave the Sixers a three-point lead, then kept extending it. He later drove through contact for a layup that put Philadelphia up eight with 44 seconds left.

Brown finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in his home debut for the Sixers after his trade from the Boston Celtics.

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The turnaround was a full team effort. Philadelphia outscored Cleveland 74-37 in the second half, holding the Cavaliers to 21 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth.

Tyrese Maxey led the way with 32 points and six assists, including a 15-0 run that swung the game. Embiid added 24 points and scored seven straight in the fourth quarter to give the Sixers their first lead at 96-95 with 6:54 left.

LeBron James, also making his home debut with Philadelphia, posted 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against his former team. Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points for Cleveland, 22 of them in the first half.

The Sixers are now 2-0 after opening the season with a win over the New York Knicks. They return to the court on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks before hosting the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.