Coach Nick Nurse's Philadelphia 76ers hit the road to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a key Eastern Conference NBA Cup matchup, which they played without center Adam Bona. The Sixers are 8-1 on the season and getting NBA Finals hype from Stephen A. Smith as they continue their quest for a championship run.
76ers stars Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James joined each other at the scorer's table where Maxey mimicked James' famous chalk toss celebration.
Video highlights were captured as fans began reacting to the Sixers duo.
Tyrese Maxey does his best LeBron James “chalk toss” impersonation ahead of Sixers-Cavs 😅🍿
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/XVf3TZ0n1r
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 7, 2026
Nurse's 76ers fell behind 33-22 after one quarter in Cleveland as James and Maxey combined for just eight first quarter points. Donovan ‘Spyda' Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 10 first quarter points as the Sixers struggled to contain him at Rocket Arena.
Article Continues BelowJames' chalk toss dates all the way back to 2003, his rookie season with owner Dan Gilbert's team. The ritual allegedly started with Michael Jordan, who used it to poke fun at media members, and was adopted by Kevin Garnett before James made it his own in Cleveland.
Maxey and James are building camaraderie that could help the Sixers to become one of the NBA's best teams by the time this season is said and done. James has been busy in the legal arena recently while Maxey has focused on basketball, showing himself to be one of the best guards in the Eastern Conference, and the entire NBA.
Maxey had his work cut out for him in the second quarter as Philly attempted to battle its way back against a team that's been where they're trying to go, deep in the playoffs, in recent years.