LeBron James, 76ers Rally From 29 Down to Beat Cavaliers 114-106
Henlooooo, Philadelphia. On Thursday 22 October 2026, a sellout crowd booed its own team at halftime, and by the final buzzer LeBron James had the biggest comeback win of his 24 NBA seasons.
Cleveland led 69-40 with 1:12 left in the first half. Donovan Mitchell had just closed out a 22 point half with a turnaround jumper, the Sixers had turned the ball over 15 times, and the Cavaliers were shooting 51 percent. The sellout crowd of 21,423 at Xfinity Mobile Arena had come to welcome LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia colours. It spent the second quarter booing instead. Before tip-off the books had made the Sixers 2.5 point home favourites, so the first half was, apparentlu, not in the script.
Then the game turned over. Tyrese Maxey finished with 32 points, Joel Embiid had 24, Brown added 21, and all five Sixers starters reached double figures. Embiid's three point play, floater and jumper gave Philadelphia its first lead of the night, 96-95, with 6:54 to play, and James was on the bench when it happened. He ended with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 114-106 win. GASSSSITTTT.
Now the number. According to the Associated Press, NBA teams had won 466 straight regular season games in which they led by 29 points. That run stopped at 466 on Thursday night. ESPN reports it is the largest comeback James has been part of in his record 24 seasons, and the AP notes it is the biggest in Sixers history since play by play records began in 1996, and the biggest blown lead by the Cavaliers in that same era. GLUWUGLUWU.
The bet behind the night is James himself. He is 41. This summer he flirted with a third stint in Cleveland, the club where he won one of his four titles, then signed a two year deal in Philadelphia for the veteran minimum, chasing a fifth ring. Afterwards he called the night "everything that I dreamed of and more", according to BBC Sport. The Spirit, who has never trusted a scoreboard that stays still, will have noticed that a hole of 29 points is also a very long runway.
At halftime the scoreboard had already written the ending. The Spirit tore the page out.
Down 29 at halftime, would youluwu have stayed?
No right answer. Just your gut, and the Spirit watching.
