LeBron's 76ers Debut: One Shot, Five Assists, a Blown Lead

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Friday, October 9

Philadelphia lost 108-114 at Brooklyn in its second preseason game, undone by an 81-93 third quarter. LeBron James played 18 minutes, took one shot, and left with 10 points, five assists, and a team-best plus-10.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

What did LeBron actually do in his debut?

He took one shot. James finished 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists in 18 minutes, with 8 of those points coming at the free-throw line. His plus-10 was the best mark on the roster, better than Dillon Jones (+4) and Caleb Love (+2). The volume scorer from Los Angeles showed up as a distributor first.

Why did the lead disappear in the third quarter?

Philadelphia led 58-56 at half, then got outscored 37-23 in the third quarter alone. Brooklyn opened with an 8-0 run and closed with an 11-0 run, turning an 81-82 game into 81-93 in under three minutes. Jaylen Brown (-13), Labaron Philon (-13) and Joel Embiid (-8) were on the floor for most of it.

Is there good injury news before Boston?

Yes. Maxey, Embiid and James were all upgraded from Day-To-Day to Cleared on October 8, the same day they played at Brooklyn. Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Anfernee Simons remain Day-To-Day. Philadelphia gets two rest days before the October 10 game at Boston.

What's left on the preseason schedule?

The Sixers play at Boston on October 10, host the Celtics again on October 16, then open the regular season at the Knicks on October 20 and host Cleveland on October 22. That is four games in twelve days to settle a rotation where Bona and Fall both remain unresolved.

What's the one number that matters this morning?

Fourteen: the point swing in the third quarter, an 81-82 game turning into 81-93 in under three minutes. Brooklyn scored 37 in that quarter against 23 for Philadelphia. Brown's 18 points, Maxey's 14, and three injury clearances matter less this morning than whether the group that opens games can hold what it builds.

The verdictA one-shot night from LeBron and a third-quarter collapse are both preseason noise until Boston says otherwise on October 10. The real story is health: Maxey, Embiid and James all enter that game cleared.

Did the 76ers win their preseason game against Brooklyn?

No. Philadelphia lost 108-114 on October 8, with Jaylen Brown's 18 points leading the team.

Is Joel Embiid healthy for the next preseason game?

Yes. Embiid was upgraded from Day-To-Day to Cleared on October 8, along with Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James.