NEW YORK — The New York Knicks picked up their NBA championship rings on Tuesday night, and then the Philadelphia 76ers picked up the win. Philadelphia rallied for a 106-100 victory at Madison Square Garden in the teams' season opener, sending an early message that the Knicks' title will be contested.
Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 28 points for the 76ers, whose overhauled roster clicked when it mattered. Jaylen Brown, acquired from Boston, had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his Philadelphia debut. LeBron James began his NBA-record 24th season — and his first with his fourth team — with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists. 'I like the way we played,' James said. 'We played exceptionally well, especially defensively.'
New York led 58-54 at halftime but scored just 18 points in a third quarter that flipped the game. Philadelphia closed the period on an 11-0 run, and the Knicks — who shot 37 per cent from the field — never recovered the lead. Jalen Brunson led New York with 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds in 24 foul-troubled minutes.
Before tipoff, Brunson told the Garden crowd during the banner-raising ceremony: 'The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again.' Philadelphia, which was swept by New York in last spring's second round before trading for Brown and signing James, made clear on night one that this season's road runs through a much stronger challenger. Up next, the 76ers host Cleveland on Thursday; the Knicks visit Boston on Friday.
