Photo Credit: Philadelphia 76ers/Instagram
By: Jennifer Portee
The Knicks raised a championship banner Tuesday night. Philadelphia made sure the celebration didn’t last at the final buzzer.
Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown made his presence felt in his Sixers debut, helping Philadelphia come from behind to beat New York 106-100 at Madison Square Garden in the season opener.
LeBron James began his NBA-record 24th season with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his Sixers debut. Brown, acquired from Boston, finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
For a Philadelphia team swept by New York in last season’s second round, this was an encouraging first look at a roster built to change that matchup. The Sixers didn’t play a clean game from the start, but they found their momentum, got timely shooting from their bench and answered when the Knicks tried to come back late in the game.
The biggest gamechanger came at the end of the third quarter.
Philadelphia closed the period on an 11-0 run, with Brown hitting consecutive 3-pointers. His second dropped at the buzzer, giving the Sixers an 83-76 lead and taking some life out of a building that had opened the night celebrating a championship.
Maxey kept the pressure on with a three-point play early in the fourth that pushed the advantage to 87-78.
New York still gave itself a chance. Karl-Anthony Towns knocked down a 3-pointer to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 96-95, putting the Knicks within one possession of taking control. Joel Embiid answered from beyond the arc, and the Sixers stayed in front.
Embiid finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Philadelphia also got important production from its reserves, with Anfernee Simons making three 3-pointers and newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope adding two. As New York’s defense leaned toward the Sixers’ established scorers, those open looks became costly.
The Sixers needed that help off the bench, especially with both teams struggling to get going early. Fouls and missed shots slowed the first half, and although the Knicks built a 10-point lead, Philadelphia trimmed it to 58-54 by halftime.
New York’s shooting never fully came around.
Jalen Brunson scored 21 points but finished 6-for-19 from the field. Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds, while the Knicks shot 37% overall and 33.3% from three-point range.
Before tipoff, Brunson addressed the crowd as New York received its rings and raised the banner commemorating the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
“The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again,” he said.
The Knicks earned that celebration with a dominant postseason. They finished 16-3, put together a 13-game winning streak and posted the highest point differential in NBA playoff history. Their run ended with a five-game Finals victory over San Antonio, with Brunson taking home Finals MVP honors.
The Sixers knew how tough New York was after getting swept in the second round. Philadelphia responded by bringing in Brown from Boston and signing James after he left the Lakers.
One game won’t settle how those pieces fit over a full season. Tuesday did offer something tangible: Brown swung the game with his shooting, James contributed across the box score, and Maxey led the offense without Philadelphia needing either newcomer to carry the scoring load.
When New York made its final push, Embiid supplied the answer.
The Sixers host Cleveland on Thursday night. The Knicks head to Boston on Friday.