LeBron on 10-point Sixers debut: Still adjusting, but 'the game is the game' — SkimNews
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- LeBron James made his preseason debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, and a team-high five assists in 18 first-half minutes of a 114-108 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
- Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn by 10 points in James' minutes, and the full planned starting lineup of James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe outscored the Nets by two in its 10 first-half minutes together.
- James attempted only one field goal (which he made) and went 8-for-8 from the foul line for his other points — drawing a joke from Edgecombe: 'He already got the [scoring] record. He don't care to score anymore.'
- Joel Embiid struggled in his return after injury-plagued recent seasons, finishing with just six points on 1-for-5 shooting and eight turnovers in 24 minutes, though coach Nick Nurse said he was 'extremely happy' simply to have Embiid on the court.
- Jaylen Brown and Embiid collided in the first half when both spilled to the floor; Brown said he 'flexed my knee a little bit, but it seems to be all right,' and added that he and Embiid need to 'figure some things out in terms of spacing.'
- Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he plans to start his regulars again and extend their minutes into the second half in one of Philadelphia's two remaining preseason games — both against Boston (Oct. 11 road, Oct. 16 home) — with sources telling ESPN the Oct. 16 finale is more likely.
Why it matters: LeBron's 18-minute debut showed exactly the offensive gravity Philadelphia signed him for — the Sixers outscored Brooklyn by 10 with him on the floor, and he fed Edgecombe for an early three-quarter-court layup — but Embiid's eight-turnover return, a Brown knee scare from a first-half collision, and a starting five still working out spacing signals significant chemistry work before the regular season tips off.
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