The New York Knicks left Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night with rings. But the Philadelphia 76ers came away with the victory.
The 76ers took advantage of a sloppy third quarter by the Knicks and took control for a 106-100 victory in the season opener for both teams.
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Philadelphia’s victory came during the highly anticipated 76ers debuts of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. And it spoiled a celebratory evening in New York in which the Knicks raised their first championship banner since 1973 and handed out rings.
With the victory, the 76ers joined the Pistons in winning the NBA’s opening day after Detroit defeated the Boston Celtics in a Tuesday matinee. Both teams launched early salvos in what is shaping up to be a competitive race to the top of the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James and Jaylen Brown helped earn a win in their 76ers debuts.
(IMAGINE IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
The Knicks start strong, but the 76ers take over late
The Knicks looked ready to avoid the dreaded ringside hangover and went into halftime with a 58-54 lead. But James and Brown found their rhythm in the third quarter to help the 76ers take control.
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James converted two consecutive Karl-Anthony Towns turnovers into easy buckets at the rim, including an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Brown.
The 76ers capped a 29-18 third-quarter advantage with a buzzer-beating 3 from Brown on an inside pass from James.
It was a welcome sight for 76ers fans eager to see the first glimpse of Philadelphia’s new team.
With that bucket, the 76ers entered the fourth quarter with an 83-76 advantage. The Knicks remained competitive throughout the stretch, but never regained the lead.
First look at the 76ers’ new look
James filled in the scoring while taking a back seat with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He struggled with his shooting on a 5-of-13 shooting night, but, as usual, found his way to making an impact on the game.
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Brown also contributed across the board with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. The resident All-Stars of Philadelphia, for their part, fulfilled their role well.
Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points on a productive night that also included 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. He set the tone for his scoring night with back-to-back 3s to open the game.
Joel Embiid struggled from the field shooting 4 of 15. But he also made an impact on both ends of the court with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals.
On a night when the 76ers shot just 41.6% from the field and 27.5% from 3, they found a way to pull out a victory that Philadelphia fans can surely appreciate while leaving them excited for more.
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A nighttime hangover?
The Knicks, meanwhile, looked like a team that maybe wasn’t completely focused. Towns played just six minutes in the first half after getting into trouble early. He finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 23 minutes.
OG Anunoby missed all six of his 3-pointers in the first half. He shot 1 of 9 from 3 and 3 of 12 from the field for the game en route to 10 points.
And Finals MVP Jalen Brunson struggled on a 6-of-19 shooting night en route to a team-high 21 points, along with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
It was new arrival Andre Drummond who impressed the most. With Towns relegated to the bench for much of the game, Drummond anchored the post with 12 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks. He looks set to fill the void left by Mitchell Robinson, who now plays for the rival Celtics.
The 76ers have one night off before hosting former Cleveland Cavaliers James on Thursday. The Knicks will visit the Celtics on Friday in another matchup of Eastern Conference hopefuls.
Teddy Ricketson
Jalen Brunson – 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Karl-Anthony Towns – 19 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Josh Hart – 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Andre Drummond – 12 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks (on the bench)
OG Anunoby – 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Teddy Ricketson
Tyrese Maxey – 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Jaylen Brown – 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (team start)
LeBron James – 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (team start)
Joel Embiid – 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Anfernee Simons – 13 points, 2 rebounds (on the bench)
Teddy Ricketson
Philadelphia officially spoils the Banner and Ring Ceremony Night in New York.
Brunson returned to the game during a 76ers timeout. New York made three shots, but none fell and time expired.
Teddy Ricketson
Interestingly, it would take a lot for the Knicks to succeed, but between free throws, Jalen Brunson was subbed out. Maybe it was just to give him a little break before the final seconds.
Teddy Ricketson
Joel Embiid launched a deep three, but the Knicks rebounded it. Jalen Brunson launched a contested three, but it missed.
LeBron James rebounded it and was fouled.
He did both and Philadelphia led 106-100 with 7 seconds remaining.
Teddy Ricketson
With New York down three points, the Knicks tried to move the ball around half court to find an opening.
Tyrese Maxey timed a pass perfectly and took it coast to coast for the easy two points.
Philly now leads 104-98 with 1:52 left.
Teddy Ricketson
KAT hits a big three-pointer to bring the Knicks within 1, but Joel Embiid answered with his second 3 of the game to extend the lead to 4 with 3:27 left.
Teddy Ricketson
New York is currently outscoring Philadelphia 16-13 in the final quarter, which has helped the Knicks extend the 76ers’ lead to four with 5:22 left.
Teddy Ricketson
OG Anunoby hit a 3-pointer that bounced right off the rim and inside. This reduced the deficit to 5.
Jose Alvarado then made a three as well, and suddenly it was an 88-86 lead for the 76ers with 8:07 to play.
Teddy Ricketson
Andre Drummond finally ends the 76ers’ scoring streak with a close two-point shot. New York trails 83-78 with 11:05 left.
Jason Owens
The 76ers took control after a sloppy Knicks third quarter that featured five turnovers.
Philadelphia outscored New York 29-18 and finished the stanza on an 11-0 run. Jaylen Brown (19 points) and LeBron James (11 points) are now both in double figures.
Brown closed the quarter with a 3 at the buzzer on an inside pass from James, and the 76ers threatened to spoil the night in the Knicks ring.
Jason Owens
Karl-Anthony Towns turned the ball over on two straight possessions, leading to easy buckets from LeBron James each time.
The first bucket came on an alley-oop pass from Jaylen Brown. On the second, James finished at the rim in transition. James now has nine points and New York’s lead has been cut to 63-62.
Jason Owens
The third trimester is underway. The Knicks took a quick timeout after a 4-2 run by the 76ers to start the half. New York leads, 60-58.
Jason Owens
Knicks
Jalen Brunson: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 turnovers
Andre Drummond: 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
OG Anunoby: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 of 6 of 3
Karl-Anthony Towns: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, 6 minutes76ers
Tyrese Maxey: 16 points, 2 steals, 2 of 3 from 3
Joel Embiid: 10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 turnovers
Jaylen Brown: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
LeBron James: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 of 5 from the fieldTeam statistics
Knicks FG: 20 of 48 (41.7%)
76ers FG: 19 of 41: (46.3%)Knicks 3: 4 of 15 (26.7%)
76ers 3: 3 of 13 (23.1%)Knicks turnover: 8
76ers turnovers: 8Knicks rebounds: 27, 8 offensive
76ers rebounds: 19, 2 offensiveJason Owens
LeBron James engaged in a friendly little chat with a Kicks fan on the court during a free throw break. James can probably expect more of that now that he’s back in the Eastern Conference.
Jason Owens
There are no hangovers so far for the Knicks, who enter halftime with a 58-54 lead.
Helped by a few mistakes from Karl-Anthony Towns, Andre Drummond (10 points, 12 rebounds 2 blocks) is the surprise leader of the Knicks alongside Jalen Brunson (15 points, 2 rebounds).
For the 76ers, it’s familiar faces in Tyrese Maxey (16 points, 2 steals) and Joel Embiid (10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) leading the charge. Newcomers LeBron James (5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and Jaylen Brown (9 points, 3 rebounds) are off to relatively slower starts.
Jason Owens
The Sixers go small with LeBron James at center late in the first half. The Knicks counter with Andre Drummond and Karl-Anthony Towns struggling.
Jason Owens
Aaaaand, KAT is back on the bench with his third foul of the first half.
Jason Owens
Karl-Anthony Towns is back in the game after being incarcerated in a familiar prison.
He just smoked Joel Embiid with a step-back and a -1 jumper from the wing to extend New York’s lead to 50-43.
Jason Owens
Who called Andre Drummond the most productive player in this game?
One of the few Knicks not to get a ring tonight, Drummond leads the Knicks with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks with 8:09 left in the second quarter. New York leads 38-28 after a timeout.
Karl-Anthony Towns struggled early and was parked on the bench. Drummond made the most of his unscheduled first playing time.
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