LeBron James found himself at the heart of a concerning incident during the Philadelphia 76ers' home opener Thursday when an inadvertent clash left sophomore VJ Edgecombe with a bloody nose.

The episode occurred in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as James and Edgecombe competed for a rebound after a missed Jarrett Allen free throw. James accidentally struck his teammate with an elbow, though he seemed oblivious to the injury as he headed back up the court while other players hurried to attend to the young player.

The 21-year-old Edgecombe has emerged as one of the Sixers' most pleasant surprises, excelling at the gritty defensive work, pushing the pace, making cuts, distributing, and grabbing boards, though his offensive opportunities will likely diminish with the arrivals of James and All-Star Jaylen Brown. In other news, Donald Trump has denounced James as a "total disgrace" for his conduct during the national anthem.

The elbow represented just one of multiple difficult stretches for the Sixers in the early going. Philadelphia trailed by as much as 29 points during the second quarter. James was responsible for five of the Sixers' 14 first-half turnovers, while the Cavaliers converted the opening 17 points of the evening from turnovers.

Philadelphia didn't get to the free-throw line until the 6:43 mark of the second quarter, with Tyrese Maxey serving as the lone Sixer keeping the offense palatable. Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell put up 22 points in the opening half on 7-for-9 shooting.

Then momentum shifted dramatically. The Sixers launched a 16-0 surge that began late in the second quarter and extended into the third, with Edgecombe, James and Embiid all attacking the basket.

The defense intensified, forcing Cleveland into damaging turnovers. Brown converted a fast break following an Edgecombe steal, while Maxey drove for a score and drained a three-pointer that prompted Cleveland to call a timeout. Philadelphia dominated the third quarter 37-21.

The Sixers narrowed the gap to 84-82 on a Maxey layup before Cleveland briefly regained composure. Mario Hezonja's jumper extended the Cavaliers' advantage to 90-82 late in the third. Philadelphia maintained pressure, and Embiid's mid-range shot gave the Sixers a 96-95 advantage.

Brown then isolated against Sam Merrill and converted three consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 102-95. Philadelphia secured a 114-106 victory. Maxey recorded 32 points and six assists, Embiid contributed 24 points, Brown added 21 and James finished with 17.

Mitchell paced Cleveland with 32 points. James had a difficult start, accounting for three of the Sixers' first six turnovers, but he opened the scoring with a catch-and-shoot three and created a backdoor layup for Edgecombe.

The Sixers improved to 2-0 following their opening night win against the Knicks. They face a home back-to-back this weekend, welcoming the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday and the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Philadelphia was without Dean Wade, Dominick Barlow, Anfernee Simons and Tacko Fall due to injuries.