NBA Roundup: 76ers Overcome 29-Point Deficit Against Cavaliers; Thunder Win Without Flourish

Only two NBA games on Thursday, but they delivered two stories that will be talked about all season long. One: the 76ers' comeback in their home opener. The other: the end of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's streak. For Spanish players, it was a night without minutes: Aday Mara remained on the Thunder bench by coaching decision.

Cavaliers 106-114 76ers

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The Cavaliers, last season's Eastern Conference finalists, appeared to have the game in hand before halftime. They won the first quarter 35-18, led by as many as 29 points (69-40) with just over a minute until the break, and went into the locker room up 69-45. What happened next was the greatest comeback in modern 76ers history and throughout LeBron James' entire career.

Philadelphia dominated the second half 69-37. A dominant third quarter of 37-21, with the Xfinity Mobile Arena chanting "Trust the process," cut the deficit to eight points (90-82). In the fourth quarter, seven straight points from Joel Embiid gave the 76ers their first lead of the night (95-96) with 6:54 remaining, and they never relinquished it. Donovan Mitchell, with 32 points and 10 rebounds, missed two free throws with 1:19 left that could have brought the Cavaliers within two.

Tyrese Maxey led the comeback with 32 points and 6 assists. Embiid added 24 points and 7 rebounds, Jaylen Brown 21 and 8 rebounds, and LeBron 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. For Cleveland, besides Mitchell, Evan Mobley scored 18 (15 in the first half) and James Harden 16 with 5 assists.

Read also:

• 76ers Dampen Knicks' Ring Night (106-100)
• Gilgeous-Alexander Punishes Spurs (116-104) and Mara Makes NBA Debut
• Jokić and Murray Win Duel Against Dončić in Los Angeles (106-121)

Nuggets 84-96 Thunder

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The Thunder's home opener was an ugly game, heavy on defense and light on shooting: both teams shot just 38% from the field. The Nuggets led in the first half, up by as many as nine points, while Gilgeous-Alexander missed all seven of his shots before halftime. A basket by Ajay Mitchell gave the Thunder their first lead since the opening minutes (62-64) in the third quarter, and three-pointers from Alex Caruso and Gilgeous-Alexander himself made it 64-70 heading into the fourth.

In the fourth, the Thunder pulled away to a 17-point lead (76-93). Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting and asked out with 1:44 remaining. That ended his streak of 141 consecutive games with at least 20 points, the longest in history.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 21 points, and Chet Holmgren dominated the paint with 12 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ajay Mitchell added 12 points and 5 steals. For Denver, Aaron Gordon scored 20, and Nikola Jokić finished with just 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting, very uncomfortable against Holmgren's defense. The Nuggets turned the ball over 22 times.