76ers spoil Knicks' ring night in LeBron James' and Jaylen Brown's Philadelphia debut

The New York Knicks left Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night with rings. But the Philadelphia 76ers walked away with the win.The 76ers capitalized on a sloppy third quarter from the Knicks and took control for a 106-100 win in the season debut for both teams.The win for Philadelphia arrived in the highly anticipated 76ers debuts for LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. And it spoiled a night of celebration in New York in which the Knicks raised their first championship banner since 1973 and handed out rings.With the win, the 76ers joined the Pistons in victory on the NBA's opening day after Detroit beat the Boston Celtics in a Tuesday matinee. Both teams fired early salvos in what projects as a competitive race at the top of the Eastern Conference.LeBron James and Jaylen Brown helped deliver a win in their 76ers debut.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERSKnicks start strong, but 76ers take over lateThe Knicks appeared prepared to avoid the dreaded ring-night hangover and entered halftime with a 58-54 lead. But James and Brown found their rhythm in the third quarter to help the 76ers seize control.James converted two straight turnovers by Karl-Anthony Towns into easy buckets at the rim, including an alley-oop dunk on a pass from Brown.JAYLEN BROWN LOB TO LEBRON JAMESFIRST OF MANY. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CkjHSvPh3D— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 21, 2026 The 76ers capped a 29-18 third-quarter advantage with a buzzer-beating 3 from Brown on an inbounds pass from James. JAYLEN BROWN AT THE BUZZERTHE SIXERS ARE COOKING 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4IUjWmQtaE— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 21, 2026 It was a welcome sight for 76ers fans eager to see the first glimpse of Philadelphia's revamped roster.With that bucket, the 76ers entered the fourth quarter with an 83-76 advantage. The Knicks kept things competitive down the stretch, but never reclaimed the lead. First glimpse at new-look 76ersJames filled up the box score while taking a backseat in scoring with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He struggled with his shot on a 5-of-13 shooting night, but, as usual, found his path to making an impact on the game.Brown also contributed across the board with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Philadelphia's resident All-Stars, meanwhile, filled their roles well.Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points in a productive night that also featured 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. Back-to-Back threes from Tyrese Maxey to kick off the Sixers season 🔥pic.twitter.com/ZkY0iWCP1l ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 20, 2026 Joel Embiid struggled from the field while shooting 4 of 15. But he also made an impact on both sides of the floor 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 grind out a win that Philadelphia fans can surely appreciate while leaving them excited for more. Ring-night hangover?The Knicks, meanwhile, looked like a team that may have not been completely focused. Towns played just six minutes in the first half after getting into early foul trouble. He finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 23 minutes. OG Anunoby missed all six of his first-half 3-pointers. 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 alongside 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 ready to fill in the void left by Mitchell Robinson, who now plays for the rival Celtics. The 76ers have one night off before hosting James' former Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The Knicks will visit the Celtics on Friday in another clash of Eastern Conference hopefuls.