76ers fall to Nets in James' NBA preseason debut

NBA superstar LeBron James delivered a solid first half in his first pre-season game for Philadelphia on Thursday, but the new-look 76ers fell 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, US$8 million deal with the 76ers, ending weeks of speculation over where the four-time NBA champion would land as a free agent after eight seasons and one title with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 41-year-old superstar, entering a record-extending 24th NBA season, won two titles with Miami, another with Cleveland and a fourth with the Lakers and is aiming to help the Sixers win their first title since Julius Erving led the club to the crown 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. James scored 10 points, connecting on his lone shot from the floor and making 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 out-scored the...