From boos to a roar, Sixers give Philadelphia the night it needed

From boos to a roar, Sixers give Philadelphia the night it needed originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Over the last three weeks, it has not exactly been Always Sunny around the sports complex on South Broad Street.

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There has not been much to cheer for, either.

The Phillies fell to the division-rival Braves in the National League Wild Card Series. The struggling Eagles lost Jalen Hurts for what is expected to be the remainder of the season after blood clots were discovered. The Flyers opened their season with a franchise-record nine-game winless streak.

Things had been heading in the wrong direction during the spooky month of October. That might be an understatement.

So, sure, there was weight attached to the start of the Sixers’ season.

After stealing a victory in the hectic environment of Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the Sixers returned to Philadelphia for one of the city’s most highly anticipated basketball events in decades.

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A sellout crowd of 21,423 packed Xfinity Mobile Arena for the home debuts of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in red, white and blue. Boyz II Men performed the national anthem. Philadelphia boxing icon Bernard Hopkins rang the bell. Allen Iverson sat courtside.

The video-board presentation played like a movie trailer before public-address announcer Matt Cord introduced the starting lineups. His familiar, drawn-out delivery left just enough room for the crowd to insert “sucks” after the name of every visiting Cavalier.

Then the Sixers’ starters were introduced.

The place shook.

“You could really feel it before the game, probably more than ever that I’ve been here, for sure,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “Just the general buzz and all that kind of stuff.”

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That buzz did not last uninterrupted.

Turnover after turnover. Mistake after mistake. Cleveland began pulling away while sucking the energy out of an increasingly anxious crowd.

Donovan Mitchell closed his 22-point first half with a seven-foot turnaround shot, assisted by former Sixer James Harden. It pushed Cleveland’s lead to 69-40 with 1:12 remaining.

Twenty-nine points.

The Sixers committed…

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Publish date : 2026-10-23 04:35:00

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