76ers Play Spoiler During Knicks Champions Night with Opening Night Victory
LeBron James #23 and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers shake hands during the first quarter. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
The “Super-Team” 76ers officially have their first victory of the season.
After quite possibly the craziest offseason in Philadelphia 76ers history, it was finally time to put the 76ers lineup on the floor for a real game. This summer, the 76ers managed to go out and make one of the biggest trades in franchise history, trading for Jaylen Brown, and then weeks later one-upped that trade by signing LeBron James.
The acquisition created arguably the best starting five in the NBA this season, with James and Brown joining Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. However, there’s only so much offseason talk, and you have to put the team on the floor and actually see what they can do.
Well, one game into the season and it looks like the hype may be real. Despite not shooting the most efficiently on the night, the 76ers managed to battle against the defending champs, winning a tight 106-100 battle for win No. 1 of the season.
Maxey led the way in scoring with 28 points, while Brown added 19 in his first game as a Sixer. Embiid picked up his first double-double of the year, posting 13 points and 11 rebounds, while James added 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in his 76ers debut.
The new-look 76ers got off to a hot start; more specifically, it was Maxey who had the hot hand, drilling back-to-back threes to open up the ballgame. New York finally got on the board after going scoreless through the first few minutes, with Mikal Bridges scoring their first basket and Jalen Brunson drilling their first three.
Both teams got into the action, trading buckets; for the 76ers, Embiid and rookie forward Jaylen Brown did the heavy lifting, and for the Knicks, former 76er Andre Drummond did, too. Following a Miles McBride three, James finally joined in on the action, laying in a pass from Embiid for his first bucket as a 76er.
Closing out the first quarter, another new 76er knocked down some big buckets, as Anfernee Simons scored four straight to keep Philadelphia close. Unfortunately, with Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble, the 76ers had no answer for Drummond, as his rebounding and put-backs were too much, putting the Knicks up 25-23 heading into the second quarter.
At the start of the second, the Knicks elected to roll with the majority of their bench on the floor, giving guys like Brunson and Towns rest, and early on it looked like it was working. Drummond continued to be a monster in the middle, getting to 10 points and rebounds early on in the quarter, and Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado provided big threes to put the Knicks up 10.
The 76ers began chipping away at the Knicks’ lead, going through Embiid with Towns in foul trouble. It was debatable if that strategy was working, as Embiid had three turnovers in the period but six points.
New York’s starters eventually checked back in and managed to maintain the lead that their bench created, as the 76ers were unable to get past the six-point deficit. With three minutes to go in the half, the new 76ers stars, Brown and Bron, got the run going to cut the Knicks ‘ lead, scoring and even assisting on six straight points for Philadelphia.
Brunson did his best to answer back, scoring eight points in those final three minutes, but four points from Maxey before the final buzzer made it 58-54 New York at the half.
Out of the break, Philadelphia’s offense finally got rolling as Maxey and Brown knocked down jumpers, and James had his first highlight moment as a 76er, slamming an alley-oop from Brown.
New York eventually responded with Hart drilling a three and Brunson and Towns both scoring four points, but a Simons three kept the damage to a minimum. Trailing 76-72 with three minutes left in the third, the 76ers went on their first big scoreless run of the year.
Maxey got it rolling with a layup, and Simons and Brown drilled back-to-back threes, giving the 76ers the lead. On the final possession of the quarter, James found Brown open, and Brown was able to bury another three-pointer just before the buzzer, extending the 76ers’ lead heading into the fourth to 83-76. Philadelphia ended the third on an 11-0 run.
In the fourth quarter, the 76ers managed to get the lead up to eight points thanks to free throws from Maxey and Embiid, but back-to-back threes from OG Anunoby and Alvarado quickly made it a two-point game with eight minutes to play.
Philadelphia got going, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hitting back-to-back triples, putting the 76ers back up six. Five straight points from Towns, including a logo three, made it a one-point game, but an Embiid three kept them in front.
Another deep three from Towns continued to keep New York in the game, but a dunk from Edgecombe on a dime from Embiid put Philadelphia up four, and a steal from Maxey made it a six-point lead for the 76ers with two minutes to play.
Misses from both teams bled one minute, and after a Brunson layup, the 76ers just needed to bleed more clock to pull out the win. After a timeout, a botched play gave New York a chance to cut the deficit again.
However, a big missed three from Brunson essentially iced the game. Two free throws from James put them back up six, and misses from New York bled out the rest of the clock, with the 76ers picking up the 106-100 win for their first victory of the year.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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