The Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106, rallying from a 29-point deficit in their home opener on Thursday night.
Tyrese Maxey dropped 32 points, Joel Embiid had 24, Jaylen Brown added 21, and LeBron James contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds to complete the comeback.
Philadelphia did not back down with a big cushion as Maxey and his former teammate James Harden exchanged words in the fourth before they were separated.
Maxey worked defensively and was the catalyst for a 15-0 burst in the fourth that gave them the lead and left the Cavaliers in collapse.
On the other hand, Donovan Mitchell dropped 32 points for Cleveland in their season-opener, while Harden added 16 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Meanwhile, 41-year-old James was accused by President Donald Trump of disrespecting the United States by not standing during the national anthem.
The four-time champion brought the crowd to life with a two-handed jam in the first half and a bucket off a steal by Maxey.
The 76ers missed 11 of 15 triples and had 14 turnovers in the first half, as Mitchell led his team to stretch the lead to 29 points in the half.
Embiid scored seven straight points in the fourth to make it 96-95.
Up next: the Cavaliers have their home opener against the Nets on Saturday, while Philly plays back-to-back games at home against Milwaukee and Detroit this weekend.
