Sixers erase a 29-point deficit to beat the Cavaliers 114-106 in their home opener

The Philadelphia 76ers came back from 29 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday night in their home opener, the first home game for LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia. The NBA called it the largest Sixers comeback of the play-by-play era and the 10th-largest in the league over that span.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 32 points, six assists and two steals in 42 minutes. Joel Embiid scored 24, Brown had 21 points and eight rebounds, and James finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. VJ Edgecombe added 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. All five starters finished at plus-7 or better.

How it turned

Cleveland owned the first half. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting before the break, and the Cavaliers led 69-45 at halftime after quarters of 35 and 34 points. Philadelphia missed 11 of 15 3-point tries and turned it over 14 times in the half, according to the Associated Press recap on ESPN, and the home crowd booed late in the second quarter.

The Sixers won the third quarter 37-21 and went into the fourth trailing 90-82. Video posted by the NBA shows Maxey at the start of the fourth telling teammates, "We're going to learn what kind of team we are right now."

Philadelphia then outscored Cleveland 32-16 in the fourth. Embiid scored seven straight points to make it 96-95, Maxey and James Harden went nose-to-nose before being separated, and a 15-0 run in the quarter put the Sixers ahead for good, per the AP. Brown's driving dunk off an Edgecombe feed with 21 seconds left closed the scoring.

The other side

Mitchell finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in Cleveland's season opener. Evan Mobley had 18 points and eight rebounds, Harden scored 16 with five assists and six turnovers, and Jarrett Allen added 14 after being listed as day-to-day with a knee injury before the game. Cleveland shot 7 of 29 from 3-point range and scored 37 points after halftime.

James had flirted with a third stint in Cleveland during free agency before signing a two-year deal with Philadelphia, per the AP. ESPN's recap calls it the biggest comeback win of his career.

What's next

Philadelphia is 2-0 after Tuesday's 106-100 win at New York and plays home games Saturday against Milwaukee and Sunday against Detroit. Cleveland opens its home schedule Saturday against Brooklyn.