NBA superstar LeBron James had a solid first half in his first preseason game for Philadelphia on Thursday, but the new-look 76ers lost 114-108 to the Nets in Brooklyn.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, announced in July that he had signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers, ending weeks of speculation about where the four-time NBA champion would land as a free agent after eight seasons and one title with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The 41-year-old superstar, entering his 24th NBA season, has won two titles with Miami, one with Cleveland and a fourth with the Lakers, and is aiming to help Julius Erving win his first title since he led the club 43 years ago.
Thursday’s game marked his first chance to line up alongside new teammates Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown — a new arrival from the Boston Celtics.
“It felt a little different,” James said. “Obviously, I’m just wearing a new jersey, but a game is a game.
“We’re still trying to put each other in a position to be successful and complement each other the best we can,” he said. “But it’s going to take some time. Tonight was a good sample size for us.”
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James scored 10 points, connected on his lone shot from the floor and made all eight of his free throw attempts. He added four rebounds, five assists and a steal in 18:04 minutes in the first half.
Brown led all scorers with 18 points. Julius Randle had 14 for the Nets, who outscored the Sixers 37-23 in the third quarter to take control.
– All eyes on James –
But all eyes were on James, starting with his chalk drop before his first signing in a 76ers uniform.
James ran the Sixers offense smoothly when he was on the floor, dishing out all five of his assists in the first quarter and combining effectively with Maxey.
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After seeing his players together for the first time, 76ers coach Nick Nurse said, “I think some really good things happened.
“A lot of back cuts, good passes, etc…there were segments where we turned the ball over a lot…just little sloppy segments as well. But again, it’s the preseason, it’s the first time they’ve been together.
“I think you look at what’s good about it and what are our learning experiences, what are things we can improve on.”
The 76ers have two more preseason games against Boston before opening the NBA regular season on Oct. 20 against the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
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James’ arrival already found the 76ers struggling outside of the “noise.”
James took to Instagram to deny a report during the team’s first preseason game Monday that the announcer had admonished Embiid for being late to practice.
“He’s not late, so stop lying,” James wrote.
James acknowledged at the team’s media day last month that such overseas hype around the 76ers “is going to double, triple, quadruple since I’ve been here.”
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