NBA Recap: Sixers' Record Comeback, Thunder's Depth Downs Denver

76ers make history with biggest comeback

76ers rally from 29 down to beat Cavaliers 114-106 as James, Brown and Maxey star. Jalen Williams leads Thunder past Jokic's Nuggets in battle of MVPs on opening week.

76ers stun Cavaliers with historic comeback in LeBron's Philly home debut. SGA wins MVP battle...

The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off a historic rally on Thursday, erasing a 29-point deficit to shock the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in NBA superstar LeBron James's first home game since joining Philly as a free agent.

Brown and James Power Record Philly Rally

Former Celtics star Jaylen Brown, the Sixers' other major offseason addition, delivered 21 points, eight rebounds, and the four-time NBA champion James added 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to fuel the biggest comeback of the play-by-play era since 1996.

James Calls Historic Comeback a Good Win, But Not a Habit

It marked the largest comeback of James's legendary career, and while the league's all-time leading scorer called it a good win, he admitted it's not a situation he wants to be in on a regular basis.

“You don't want to rely on that,” he said. “I think it's great to know (that) deep down we're not going to have that quit mentality. You never want to look around and say guys gave up.

“But you don't want to put yourself in too many of those situations.”

Cavaliers Come Out Fired Up After Missing on Hometown Hero

Cleveland, still stinging after failing to land hometown hero James following his announcement that he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons, looked determined to show him exactly what he was missing.

Atkinson Admits Heartbreak Over James Decision Before Strong Start

James, who won one of his four championships with Cleveland, left Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson admittedly crushed by the move, with Atkinson saying he was “just depressed, honestly” for the first couple of days after the news broke, though he had plenty to be happy about with Cleveland's fast start to their season opener.

Mitchell Dominates First Half as Philly Struggles

Donovan Mitchell poured in 22 of his 32 points in the first half as the Cavaliers took control against a disjointed 76ers squad that struggled to find any rhythm or protect the basketball.

Sloppy Start Sparks Boos Before Stunning Turnaround

Philadelphia center Joel Embiid looked out of sync, and James was responsible for five of the Sixers' 15 first-half turnovers miscues that led to 22 Cleveland points and drew boos from Philly fans whose championship hopes have soared with the additions of James and Brown.

Philly Flips the Script With Explosive Third Quarter

The boos quickly turned to thunderous cheers as a re-energized 76ers squad opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run, cutting the deficit to single digits on back-to-back buckets from Tyrese Maxey that made it 80-73.

Maxey Sparks Rally But Cavs Hold Late Third-Quarter Edge

The Cavs were suddenly scrambling to regain control as Maxey sliced the lead to just two with a running finger-roll with 2:33 left in the third, before Cleveland answered with six straight points to carry a 90-82 advantage into the final quarter.

Sixers Complete Historic Second-Half Takeover

But the 76ers just kept coming, outscoring the Cavaliers 60-37 in the second half while locking in defensively and committing only two turnovers after the break.

Cleveland's Bigs Silenced in Second Half Collapse

Evan Mobley finished with 18 points for Cleveland but managed just three in the second half, while Jarrett Allen scored 14 and was held scoreless after halftime.

Edgecombe Says Togetherness Fueled Philly's Comeback

“We stayed together, that's the main thing,” Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe said. “When it got worse we could have given up, we didn't. It's an early season test, early season adversity, and we overcame it.”

COMEBACK SZN IN SOUTH PHILLY. 😤 @Bloom_Energy https://t.co/q97OoWVfAJ

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 23, 2026

Thunder Open Title Defense With Statement Win Over Spurs

The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off their 2026-27 campaign with a statement victory over the San Antonio Spurs, and with another heavyweight showdown looming on Thursday, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another statement to make.

Depth Powers Thunder Past Nuggets Despite Quiet Night From SGA

However, SGA wasn't the headline for Oklahoma City this time, finishing with just 17 points, two rebounds and three assists, as it was the team's depth that kept them afloat against a tough Denver Nuggets squad in the first half before pulling away, outscoring Denver by 16 in the second half, with Jalen Williams leading all OKC scorers with 21 points and two other Thunder players also finishing in double figures.

Thunder's Physical Defense Stifles Jokic in Second Statement Win

On the other end, Oklahoma City's biggest success came from limiting three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, holding him to a difficult 5-of-19 shooting night, and while he still facilitated with five assists, the Thunder's physicality clearly wore him down as the game went on. Despite Jokic's quiet outing, the Nuggets hung with OKC all night, with Aaron Gordon and DeMar DeRozan combining for 33 points to keep Denver within striking distance in the fourth quarter.

Despite facing one of the league's toughest opening stretches, the Thunder have been stellar to start the year, moving to 2-0 with a comfortable 12-point win in their home opener as they begin their push to return to the NBA Finals after being crowned champions in 2025.

Home dub 🤝 https://t.co/nZNZ90mTJN

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 23, 2026