LeBron James reacts to Sixers' 8-1 start after Pistons win

LeBron James reacts to Sixers knocking off Pistons to improve to 8-1.

The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a dominant start in the 2026-27 NBA season.

They defeated the Detroit Pistons 112-106 on the road Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena.

The win pushed Philadelphia to 8-1, giving them sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

LeBron James led the charge with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Joel Embiid added 26 points, while Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 30.

Tyrese Maxey came alive in the fourth quarter, and rookie VJ Edgecombe contributed on both ends.

The Sixers built a 17-point lead and entered the fourth quarter up by 16.

Detroit fought back, pulling within four points late in the game.

Brown came up with a huge block on Cade Cunningham's three-point attempt in the final minute to seal the win.

Cunningham finished with 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Pistons.

Duncan Robinson poured in 27 points and knocked down seven three-pointers.

Detroit was playing without All-Star big man Jalen Duren, who is out with an injury.

After the game, James spoke about what has made the Sixers so effective early in the season.

"Our defense is going to be our identity," James said.

"We have a lot of scoring. Obviously, we know that from individuals, but we're still figuring that side of the floor out on the offense side."

"But defensively, that's where we're going to make our mark."

"It's the point of attack. It's us communicating, it's us helping one another."

"We're nine games in, so this is a marathon."

James also explained why the team has avoided the slow starts that marked his first seasons with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

"I guess just trying to buy in on what we want to do as a whole, offensively, defensively, special teams, everything," James said.

"And everybody has bought into that."

"Everybody's bought into that."

"Everyone pretty much know their role, but we're still learning."

"We're still learning each other."

"But like I said, defensively, we've been super in tune on game plan each and every night and that's definitely helped us out even when sometimes it kind of looked a little rugged offensively."

The Sixers have had some rough patches on offense with their new group.

But the results speak for themselves.

Philadelphia has beaten the Pistons once, the Cleveland Cavaliers once, and the defending champion New York Knicks twice.

Those wins have established the Sixers as the team to beat in the East.

James also took time to praise two of his favorite players in the league: Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham.

"Luka as well. Luka and Cade are two of my favourite players," James said.

"Guys that can do multiple things on the floor."

"And it's great to see what Cade is today, and we have a really great relationship."

Doncic, James' former teammate with the Lakers, is averaging over 38 points per game on nearly 50-40-90 shooting splits this season.

The Lakers are 7-2 under Doncic's leadership.

Cunningham, meanwhile, has emerged as a star for the Pistons, leading them to a strong start despite missing Duren.