The Sixers’ still-surreal starting five was fully intact Thursday night.

The team’s newly assembled, star-heavy unit played the first half together at Barclays Center. The final result was a 114-108 preseason loss to the Nets, but the Sixers led by two points at halftime and the evening certainly was not short on positive moments. 

“I think there were some really good things happening right off the bat, a bunch of back cuts and good passing,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “We obviously turned the ball over a lot, which you can never do. Just a little clunky in segments, too. 

“But it’s preseason, first time that they’re together. You look at what’s good and what are the learning experiences, things that we can improve on. And just try to get ‘em together as much as we can.”

The usual horde of bodies and cameras and phones surrounded LeBron James postgame in the visiting locker room following his Sixers preseason debut. 

“It obviously feels a little different playing in a new uniform,” James said, “but the game is the game.” 

At 41 years old, James remains a game-changing presence. 

He’s a unique physical force when rumbling downhill. The four-time Finals MVP scored 10 points in 18 minutes on a single field goal attempt, finishing 1 for 1 from the floor and 8 for 8 on his free throws. He also posted five assists, four rebounds and a steal. James enhanced the Sixers’ offense in both the half court and transition, throwing inch-perfect hit-ahead passes, feeding cutters and spotting open shooters. 

The 22-time All-Star continues to be extremely impactful in obvious and subtle ways.

“It’s both offensively and defensively,” VJ Edgecombe said. “Defensively, he’s loud, he’s talking, so you’ve got confidence in guarding. And then offensively, he just creates plays. He requires so much gravity, everybody else gets open. He doesn’t care about scoring. He’s already got the (NBA) record; he doesn’t care about scoring.”

The Sixers have plenty they’d like to sharpen before they’re back in New York for opening night against the Knicks on Oct. 20. 

They didn’t play a poor game on defense, but the Sixers will have higher standards for themselves in the regular season. The young Nets scored 33 points in the first quarter. 

“We’ve got to do better,” Joel Embiid said. “I think we over-helped a little bit too much. We’ve got to do a better job of stopping penetration. They drove all night. … A lot to watch and learn and get better.”

Embiid committed eight of the team’s 21 turnovers and looked exactly like a player in his first game since May. Brooklyn’s defensive aggression disrupted the Sixers at times. 

“A team like that is very active,” James said. “Their job is to try to pressure you, make you play against the shot clock. Besides the pick-sixes and the turnovers we had, I thought we played some good ball and it’s good to go against a team like that.”

For James, Embiid, Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey, that’s one game down. 

The hope is to have many to go as a first five. Brown called Thursday night “just the first step in the journey.” 

“I think the more you get on the floor, the better you become,” Embiid said.