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Philadelphia 76ers beat New York Knicks 106-100: Maxey scores 28 as LeBron and Jaylen Brown spoil ring night
Tyrese Maxey scored 28, Jaylen Brown had 19 and LeBron James 14 in their 76ers debuts as Philadelphia beat the champion Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on ring night.
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The Philadelphia 76ers spoiled the New York Knicks’ championship ring night with a 106-100 win at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, October 20, the first game for LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia uniforms. Tyrese Maxey led everyone with 28 points, and an 11-0 run to close the third quarter swung the game for good.
Brown had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in his first game since the trade from Boston, and he was plus-17. James began his NBA-record 24th season with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.
Video: NBA / X.
How it turned
Before tipoff the Knicks raised their first championship banner in 53 years and handed out their rings. The first half was choppy, with long stretches of fouls and misses. New York built a 10-point lead and took a 58-54 edge into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to the new-look Sixers. James scored three straight baskets, two of them set up by Brown, for a 64-63 lead, and after the Knicks went back up 76-72 on a Jalen Brunson jumper with 3:00 left, Philadelphia scored the last 11 points of the period. Maxey scored on a drive, Anfernee Simons hit his third three of the quarter, and Brown followed with back-to-back threes, the second of them, set up by James, at the buzzer for an 83-76 lead.
Maxey’s three-point play made it 87-78 early in the fourth. The Knicks kept coming: Karl-Anthony Towns scored 10 of his 19 points in the quarter, and his three with 4:37 left cut it to 96-95. Embiid answered with a three off a Brown pass, Towns hit another to make it 100-98, and then VJ Edgecombe’s dunk and a Maxey dunk with 1:52 left gave Philadelphia breathing room. James closed it with two free throws with 7.7 seconds to go.
Philadelphia blocked 10 shots and scored 24 fast-break points to New York’s 16. Simons finished with 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting from deep and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 10, including a three that made it 96-90 midway through the fourth. Maxey also had 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 40 minutes and went 8-of-9 at the line.
New York’s side
Brunson, the reigning Finals MVP, scored 21 but shot 6-of-19, and the Knicks shot 37 percent overall and 11-of-33 from three. Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting, Josh Hart added 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Andre Drummond grabbed 14 rebounds, 7 of them offensive, as New York won the glass 53-45. OG Anunoby scored 10 but went 1-of-9 from three, and Mikal Bridges was held to 4 points on 2-of-8.
“I liked the way we played… Good win for us,” James said afterward. It was a reversal of last spring, when the Knicks swept the 76ers in the second round on the way to the title.
What’s next
The 76ers host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their home opener on Thursday, October 22 (7 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. Friday Cairo time). The Knicks visit the Boston Celtics on Friday, October 23 (7 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. Saturday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
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