Only two games were on tap in Friday’s NBA slate, but they were marquee matchups, with LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder facing off with rivals, the Denver Nuggets.
LeBron James Nets Largest Comeback in Career
In 24 years in the NBA, LeBron James has pretty much done it all. In fact, he holds a bunch of league records that might never be broken. Yet on Friday, he notched a personal milestone when he helped his Sixers stun the Cavs after being down by as much as 29 points in the first half.
LeBron had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in the win, which also saw Tyrese Maxey lead the Sixers in scoring for the second straight game with 32 points on 12-for-23 shooting. Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, took over with under six minutes remaining, scoring on three straight possessions to give the lead to Philly.
The comeback win was also the second-largest in Sixers history, narrowly missing out on the franchise’s biggest rally ever—a 30-point comeback over the Boston Celtics on March 25, 1988.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Streak Ends, But Thunder Still Win
Over in OKC, the Nuggets managed to keep two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander under 20 points—the first time he has failed to breach the 20-point mark in an NBA-record 141 games. Even so, the Thunder still had more than enough to beat Denver, 96-84, behind a stifling defense and contributions from other players.
Jalen Williams led the way with 21 points and 5 boards, Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren had 12 apiece, and SGA finished with 17. The Thunder defense, meanwhile, held the Nuggets to 38% shooting from the field and forced 22 turnovers.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray bore the brunt of that unforgiving defense, with the former held to 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting and the latter to 6 points on a 2-for-11 clip.
