LeBron James sat at his familiar cubby in the visitors locker room at Barclays Center, but Thursday's preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets felt different. The 41-year-old made his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers, the fourth and likely last franchise of his 24-year career. Philadelphia lost 114-108.
"I mean, it felt a little different," James said. "Obviously, just wearing a new uniform, but the game is the game." He played 18 minutes, all in the first half, and finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists. Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn by 10 during his minutes.
James' passing drew immediate attention. He found a streaking Edgecombe with a three-quarter-court feed just over a minute into the game, setting up a layup. Edgecombe finished with 11 points. Brown scored 18 and Maxey added 14, both reaching double digits. Coach Nick Nurse described James as an "offense creator" and praised his vision: "He's a great, great passer."
The night was less successful for starter Joel Embiid, who scored six points on 1-for-5 shooting and committed eight turnovers in 24 minutes. Embiid acknowledged he needed to take better care of the ball, noting that early-season struggles are typical for him. Nurse said Embiid's return after several injury-plagued seasons was encouraging.
Brown said he and Embiid must "figure some things out in terms of spacing" and avoid colliding, as they did in the first half. Philadelphia has two preseason games remaining, including a matchup with the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing