Maxey Orchestrates Historic 29-Point Comeback as Sixers Silence Cleveland

PHILADELPHIA — Down 29 points in the third quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers found their rhythm through Tyrese Maxey’s leadership and resilience, mounting the largest comeback in franchise history to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 at Xfinity Live on Thursday night.

Maxey, who finished with a game-high 32 points and six assists, became the catalyst for the rally. Midway through the third quarter, after catching a pass from LeBron James in transition, Maxey drained a three-pointer without dribbling, igniting the crowd and shifting momentum decisively toward Philadelphia.

“It was just a great moment,” Maxey said. “The crowd was into the game. We were just feeding off the crowd, feeding off our energy, feeding off our resilience.”

The comeback marked the largest deficit overcome by the Sixers in the play-by-play era and also stood as the biggest collapse by the Cavaliers in franchise history. For James, it was the largest comeback of his 24-year NBA career.

The Sixers entered the game struggling in nearly every facet. They turned the ball over repeatedly, failed to generate stops, and missed easy shots. Jaylen Brown, typically reliable, managed only four points in the first half — his lowest scoring output at home since March 2025. Philadelphia committed 15 turnovers in the opening half, matching their worst half-turnover performance since January 2024.

Cleveland built a commanding 69-45 halftime lead, tied for the largest season-opening halftime advantage in franchise history and equaling their biggest margin against the 76ers.

Most of the sellout crowd, clad in white opening-night shirts featuring the team logo and coach Nick Nurse, booed loudly at intermission.

That’s when Maxey challenged his teammates.

“I said, ‘Well, it’s time to see what we’re made of. Are we going to be some front-runners and only be happy when stuff is good? Or when stuff is bad, are we going to fight and be resilient?’ And we did that,” Maxey recalled.

The response was immediate. Coming out of the locker room, the Sixers went on an 8-0 run and outscored Cleveland 37-21 in the third quarter alone. Though they still trailed by eight entering the final frame, Philadelphia gradually closed the gap. With 6:54 remaining, Joel Embiid drained a 16-foot jumper over Jarrett Allen to give the Sixers their first lead since early in the game.

Embiid noted that this version of the team showed more grit than previous iterations during his 11-year tenure.

“No shade to anybody that’s been here, but in the past, a lot of people would’ve just laid down and tried to move on to the next one,” Embiid said. “It felt different. I said last game, after the game, it just feels different.”

In the second half, Philadelphia committed just two turnovers while forcing 15 from Cleveland. Defensively, the adjustment paid dividends — Cleveland managed only 37 points after halftime. Donovan Mitchell, who had scored 30 points through three quarters, was held scoreless in the fourth until garbage time.

“They were just way, way, way tougher than us in the first half,” Maxey admitted. “They were just punking us honestly, and we did a good job of playing back.”

Despite the loss, LeBron James praised the Seventy-Sixers’ tenacity while acknowledging the dangers of depending on comebacks.

“You don’t want to rely on that,” James said with a laugh. “I think it’s great to know deep down we’re not going to have that quit mentality… but you don’t want to put yourself in too many of those situations.”

Throughout the rally, the tone in the arena shifted dramatically — boos gave way to thunderous cheers as the hometown faithful sensed something special unfolding. Embiid described the atmosphere as among the top three moments of his career, while rookie guard VJ Edgecombe called it the most electric environment he’d experienced professionally.

“I’ve been here for a long time,” Embiid said postgame. “I have no words. That was amazing.”

James, reflecting on the passion of the crowd, added, “Philadelphia is definitely one of the best sports cities.”

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