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The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 29-point lead in their season opener Thursday night, falling 114-106 to LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The loss ended several decades-long statistical streaks and gave James the biggest comeback victory of his career. The stunning result also sparked a wave of reactions across the NBA community.
Cleveland led 69-45 at halftime after Donovan Mitchell scored 22 first-half points.
Philadelphia struggled early, missing 11 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc and committing 14 turnovers before the break.
Few watching that first half could have expected Cleveland to lose.
Cavaliers Nation reacted to the final result: “What just happened?”
Another fan wrote: “Cavs scored 37 points in the second half… Just embarrassing man.”
Content creator Ahmed/Big Biz posted: “Cavs choked a 30-point lead but analytically they won.”
NBA insider Marc Stein reacted with exasperation after the final buzzer: “Oh, Cleveland…”
YouTuber “Six Rings of Steel” compared the loss to Cleveland’s previous postseason exit: “Literally how their season ended last year is how it’s starting this year.”
The Ringer’s Raheem Palmer suggested another early playoff exit, saying the Cavaliers were “giving us a prelude to their eventual first-round exit meltdown.”
NBA teams had won 466 consecutive regular-season games when leading by at least 29 points before Cleveland’s collapse, according to The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds.
Philadelphia scored 37 points in the third quarter, cutting Cleveland’s lead to 90-82 entering the fourth. Tyrese Maxey then led a 15-0 run that put the 76ers ahead. The Philadelphia guard also went nose-to-nose with former teammate James Harden late in the game before the two were separated.
Maxey finished with 32 points, while Joel Embiid added 24, including seven consecutive points in the final period. Jaylen Brown contributed 21 as Philadelphia improved to 2-0 following Tuesday’s victory over the New York Knicks.
James, who won one of his four NBA championships with Cleveland, recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against his former team.
Mitchell led Cleveland with 32 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers committed 21 turnovers and shot just 7-for-29 from 3-point distance.
Interestingly, Cleveland also squandered a 22-point fourth-quarter lead against the Knicks in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers led 83-69 entering the fourth and 93-71 with 7:52 remaining before losing 115-104 in overtime.
The Cavs will try to rebound Saturday when they host the Brooklyn Nets in their home opener at Rocket Arena. Cleveland and Philadelphia are scheduled to meet again Nov. 6.