LeBron James has now played for the 76ers. At 41 years old, and after leaving the Lakers this summer, the NBA's all-time leading scorer made his Philadelphia preseason debut at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was a quiet debut, more facilitator than scorer, and ended in defeat: the Nets won 114-108 with the stars already on the bench.
One shot and five assists
LeBron started and played 18 minutes, all in the first half. He finished with 10 points on just one field goal attempt, a layup off a pass from Tyrese Maxey, and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line. He also added 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. All of his assists came in the first quarter, including the first professional basket for rookie VJ Edgecombe, who received a one-handed pass for a dunk.
The 76ers started strong (7 of 8 from the field) and the starting lineup with LeBron, Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe showed flashes. Four of the five starters finished in double figures: Brown led the team with 18 points and Maxey added 14.
The negative note was Joel Embiid. He played 23 minutes and finished with just 6 points (1 of 5 from the field), with 8 turnovers and a technical foul.
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The bench decides
The 76ers went into halftime up by two (58-56), but the stars didn't return to the court. In the third quarter, the Nets pulled away with their rotations and entered the fourth quarter up 12 (93-81). Philadelphia responded with their bench, and a three-pointer from Justin Edwards brought it to one point (109-108), but the Nets closed out the game.
Julius Randle, in his second game with Brooklyn, led the Nets with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, and Egor Demin added 13 points and 5 assists.
Philadelphia's challenge
LeBron's arrival, combined with the trade of Jaylen Brown from Boston, makes the 76ers one of the most watched teams of the season. Their goal is to advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in two decades. Philadelphia was without Ariel Hukporti, out for the entire season with an Achilles tear, as well as Adem Bona, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall.
LeBron's official debut with the 76ers will be on opening night, October 20, at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, the defending champions. Before that, Jaylen Brown will return to Boston in the next preseason game.