Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James (23) drives for a dunk against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the Boston Celtics to XFinity Mobile Arena for an exhibition game on a day when the search for Joel Embiid's next backup continued. The Sixers took a 60-58 lead into halftime on after LeBron James got a compliment from Gilbert Arenas, and showed off with a highlight reel dunk on a lob from Tyrese Maxey.
The play came with Philadelphia leading 9-7 and helped Nick Nurse's team extend its early game lead.
The soon-to-be-42-year-old James showed off impressive leaping ability and hang time on his way to six points, five rebounds and three assists in 16 minutes of first-half action as the Sixers continued to prep for the regular season opener on October 20 at New York.
The game came shortly after Maxey dropped a truth bomb about what a healthy Joel Embiid means to he and Nurse's team. New addition Jaylen Brown joined in on the fun, getting a “best two-way player” compliment from NBA 75 member and legend Carmelo Anthony.
James and the 76ers look like must-see TV ahead of their first game showdown with the defending champion Knicks at Madison Square Garden. James is starting to look like he visits the fountain of youth on a daily basis, giving hope for a revival in Philadelphia with coach Nurse's team.
The 76ers' opener against the Knicks will reveal a lot about how Maxey, James, Embiid, VJ Edgecomb, and Brown all plan to work together with only one ball to go around, but for now, the results look stellar with as the preseason begins to wind down.