76ers Spoil Knicks' Banner Night at Madison Square Garden, Winning 106-100 Behind Maxey's 28

NEW YORK

Opening night at Madison Square Garden was supposed to belong to the champions. The New York Knicks raised their championship banner and collected their rings as the defending NBA champions, winners of the 2026 Finals over San Antonio — and then the Philadelphia 76ers, a team rebuilt around two of the biggest arrivals of the summer, beat them in their own building. Philadelphia won 106-100 on Tuesday night, according to ESPN's final scoreboard, closing out a game it took over in the third quarter and refusing to give it back in the fourth.

The final numbers tell the story of a changing of the guard, at least for one night. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting and 8-of-9 free throws, per ESPN's box score. Jaylen Brown, playing his first game for Philadelphia after the trade that sent Paul George to Boston, scored 19 points with eight rebounds and six assists. And LeBron James, beginning his Philadelphia tenure after leaving Los Angeles, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The two newcomers the whole league spent the summer talking about combined with Maxey to outlast the champions on their celebration night.

New York's fast start, and the Drummond surprise

For a half, the party went to plan. New York led 25-23 after the first quarter, according to ESPN's linescores, despite losing Karl-Anthony Towns to early foul trouble — two fouls in just over three minutes, per NBC Sports' live coverage. The answer came from an unlikely source: backup center Andre Drummond, making his Knicks debut, scored five points with six rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in his first eight minutes, according to NBC Sports, and by early in the second quarter he had 10 points and 11 rebounds as New York built a 38-28 lead — its largest of the night at 10 points, per ESPN.

Philadelphia's new stars were quiet early — James and Brown had two and three points respectively in the first quarter, per NBC Sports — but the 76ers stayed close behind Maxey, who scored eight in the first. New York took a 58-54 lead into halftime, per ESPN, with the game very much following the script the Garden crowd expected.

The third quarter flipped the night

The game turned after the break. New York got sloppy with the ball early in the third quarter and Philadelphia capitalized, prompting Knicks coach Mike Brown to call two quick timeouts, according to USA Today's live coverage. A LeBron James layup gave the 76ers a 64-63 lead — their first since the first quarter — with seven minutes left in the period, per USA Today. New York briefly surged back, but Philadelphia closed the quarter bombing from deep, with Anfernee Simons hitting a 3-pointer and Brown nailing one at the buzzer, per USA Today.

The arithmetic was decisive: Philadelphia outscored New York 29-18 in the third, per ESPN's linescores, turning a four-point halftime deficit into an 83-76 lead. Maxey had 20 points through three quarters and Brunson 19, per USA Today, but the momentum — and the building — had shifted. The champions were chasing the game on their own banner night.

Embiid's return, and a closing stand

Hovering over the whole night was the availability of Joel Embiid, who was cleared to play on Tuesday after his status headlined the day's injury news — see Previously's opening-night injury report. Embiid delivered a two-way line worthy of the occasion: 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in 33 minutes, per ESPN, anchoring a Philadelphia defense that held New York to 38 percent shooting on the night, per ESPN's team figures.

New York made its push in the fourth — the Knicks actually won the quarter 24-23, per ESPN — and the game was still live late, with Philadelphia up 88-86 with 8:07 left and 104-100 in the final minute, per ESPN and Sportradar's live feed. But the 76ers closed it out for a 106-100 final. Brunson finished with 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting for New York, Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds, Josh Hart scored 14 and Drummond closed his debut with 12 points and 14 rebounds, per ESPN. It was not enough against a Philadelphia team that got 28 from Maxey, 19 from Brown, a near triple-double from James and a double-double from Embiid.

One night, one statement

A single October game decides nothing, and the Knicks will hang over this loss for exactly as long as champions are allowed to — their banner is up either way. But opening night was billed as a measuring stick for a reshaped East: the defending champions at home against a 76ers team that added James and Brown to a core of Maxey and Embiid, in a conference where Paul George now wears Boston green after the Brown trade. On the first measuring of the season, Philadelphia walked into the loudest building in the league, absorbed a 10-point deficit and a ring ceremony, and won the second half by enough to leave with a 106-100 win. The champions get 81 more games to respond. The 76ers have the first word. Follow both clubs on the Knicks team page and the 76ers team page, and the season's opening week on the NBA hub and the Previously sports front.