New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Live NBA Updates, Scores and Highlights

The Philadelphia 76ers opened up the NBA Cup on Friday night with their second straight win over the New York Knicks, leaving Xfinity Mobile Arena with the 98-93 victory.

With Jaylen Brown sidelined by a left knee injury, Philly's other stars came out to play. LeBron James turned in his first 20-point game with the Sixers, including the game-sealing bucket on an offensive rebound. He also racked up nine rebounds and eight assists.

Tyrese Maxey was brilliant through and through. He pumped out 27 points and four assists on 10-of-19 shooting. Anfernee Simons pitched in 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench. VJ Edgecombe scored 13 points and grabbed eight boards while hustling on defense. Joel Embiid only had 10 points, but he was the engine powering the offense as a facilitator early. He finished with seven assists.

The Knicks continue to struggle from beyond the arc and with their overall offensive process. Jalen Brunson (24 points, six assists) and Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for them. They are now 2-4 on the season.

Scroll below for all the best highlights, analysis, postgame comments and takeaways from Friday's NBA Cup showdown.

Tyrese Maxey being the best player in a game that featured LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns has become the new norm. No wonder why LeBron likes (loves?) him so much.

Karl-Anthony Towns Weighs in on Knicks' Struggles

"Lightning doesn't strike twice" is a bar.

Whether that's supposed to comfort Knicks fans is...debatable.

"I don't think about it," LeBron said of his longevity.

That's perfectly fine, Mr. James. We are constantly thinking about it, and posting about it, on your behalf.

Jalen Brunson Says What All Knicks Fans are Thinking

Both of the Knicks' wins this season have notably come after trailing by double-digits. They fell behind by 10 points against the (Jalen Duren-less) Detroit Pistons. And then they railed by as many as 19 against the Chicago Bulls.

New York's biggest deficit against Philly was 14 points. While it's cool the Knicks have shown they can climb out of big holes over and over again, they're not going to avoid burnout if they need to keep expending a ton of energy to come back from behind.

That Next Sixers Injury Report is Going to be Something

Saturday marks Philly's second back-to-back of the season. We already know LeBron and Embiid won't be playing both ends. Jaylen Brown's left knee injury doesn't sound like a one-night-off thing. Dean Wade wasn't healthy to start the year and could require maintenance.

Philly may need to start four guards in Charlotte. I'm kind of here for it.

LeBron is in Love with Tyrese Maxey's...Punctuality

There is perhaps nothing more 41-years-old than using punctuality as an analog for future greatness.

Can't wait to see whether LeBron says the same about Joel.

LeBron Throws More Praise Tyrese Maxey's Way

Is "legendary status" something that can be passed down? Does Tyrese Maxey even need LeBron's help?

Why hasn't anybody offered to pass any of their legendary qualities down to me?

Karl-Anthony Towns is Wearing a Wrap on His Wrist

Towns was questionable entering tonight's game with a left wrist injury, so this will be something to track moving forward.

Fortunately for the Knicks, this isn't his shooting hand. The team also doesn't play again until Monday, which gives Towns an opportunity to rest it.

At least Jalen Brunson didn't lose the game and his sense of humor.

For those wondering, Brunson is 30 and Josh Hart is 31.

Nick Nurse is right. This was LeBron's best game as a Sixer.

Josh Hart Offers Perspective on the Knicks' Slow Start

Is this "someone's out of shape" shade? Or just an acknowledgement the Knicks are working off not only a championship, consecutive deep playoff runs to the conference finals and beyond?

Either way, good luck getting fans to accept that it's going to take time. Some will understand. But this team has billed itself as being above the championship fatigue.

LeBron's Handshakes with his Teammates Stop for Nothing and No One

Mike Brown Explains What's Wrong with the Knicks' Defense

Too long, didn't watch version: The Knicks aren't doing a good job containing the ball, executing traps or communicating.

New York's ball-containment was especially problematic in this one. Tyrese Maxey is fast, but there's zero excuse for letting the Sixers as a team shoot 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) at the rim.

On second thought, after watching him perfectly hit The Silencer, get this kid ALL the candy.

Nick Nurse Comments on LeBron's Performance

Let's good ahead and rank all of LeBron's Sixers performance so far:

This order is beyond reproach and will not be changed.

The iso bit feels aimed at OG Anunoby. It could also be directed towards Jalen Brunson, but he's supposed to have carte blanche.

The home-run comment could apply to Karl-Anthony Towns. He's too often overcomplicating his playmaking responsibilities, seemingly waiting for the highlight pass rather than looking to strictly move the ball or drive-and-kick.

No Jaylen Brown? No problem. Apparently.

You have to hand it to the Sixers. LeBron and Maxey were steadying presences all night, and they got pockets of excellence from Embiid, Simons and Edgecombe at different points in the game.

This team isn't perfect, but it's sure tough to beat.

LeBron continues to wear many different hats for the Sixers this season. Philly closed this one out following a pair of made free throws by Tyrese Maxey.

LeBron Just About Wraps It Up for the Sixers

Brilliant night from LeBron. But credit Tyrese Maxey for getting around the Knicks' defense, breaking the paint and causing the chaos that freed up James for the offensive rebound.

Jalen Brunson sank 1-of-2 free throws. Philly is up three with 31.7 seconds remaining.

If this call isn't overturned, Jalen Brunson officially has one of the best whistles of all time.

(For what it's worth, Brunson appears to be fine.)

LeBron James made a fadeaway jumper. The Knicks followed that up with a missed Jalen Brunson jumper. And then, VJ Edgecombe did this.

Score: Sixers 94, Knicks 90 | 30.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter

Some absurd shot-making is happening down the stretch here.

Karl-Anthony Hits a Clutch 3 from Another Area Code

This KAT shot is crazy. Even crazier? Him low-fiving Jalen Brunson so hard that JB's surgically repaired wrist appears to be in pain.

After not playing at all through the first three quarters, Jordan Clarkson started the fourth and has helped keep the Knicks afloat with his defensive hustle, an and-1 opportunity out of a drive, and a key offensive rebound he converted for a bucket.

Score: Sixers 87, Knicks 82 | 6:26 remaining in the fourth quarter

If you search "What is a microwave scorer?" it'll bring you to a copy of Anfernee Simons' birth certificate.

Anfernee Simons came off the bench in the third and promptly torched the Knicks for nine points of 4-of-5 shooting. He is now up to 16 points on the evening—in under 20 minutes of action.

New York's defense inexplicably lost track of him or unnecessarily went under on a screen against him at least twice. But his perimeter shot-making is a second-unit cheat code. Especially for the bargain price of $6 million.

Sixers 77, Knicks 68 | End of the third quarter

LeBron with the Chasedown Goaltend, Er, I Mean Block

Goaltending rules are apparently different if you're over the age of 40.

Score: Sixers 72, Knicks 60 | 2:30 remaining in the third quarter

The year is 2056. A 71-year-old LeBron James is still making stupid-awesome crosscourt passes.

Even his transition looks are difficult. Jeez.

Don't stop me if you're heard this one before. You have.

Jalen Brunson is both making shots and an effort to get deeper into the paint. Mikal Bridges has disrupted two Tyrese Maxey possessions in just a couple of minutes. Led by seven Brunson points, the Knicks are on a 10-1 run.

Score: Sixers 59, Knicks 54 | 7:20 remaining in the third quarter

Don't sleep on that LeBron pass for Maxey's second bucket, by the way. One of the sicker kick-outs that you'll see from anyone.

Maxey has opened the third quarter on his own personal 5-0 run and is up to 23 points on the evening. Knicks head coach Mike Brown wasted little time calling a timeout as Philly expands the lead to 14.

Score: Sixers 58, Knicks 44 | 10:19 remaining in the third quarter

I would say Embiid's going to feel that one tomorrow, but he's feeling it right now.

The Sixers Take a 9-Point Lead into the Locker Room

Tyrese Maxey is putting on another show at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Between his and LeBron's scoring and Embiid's facilitation, the offense has verged on unstoppable.

Philly's defense is just as impressive. The Knicks have missed a few perimeter bunnies, but the Sixers are cutting off their dribble penetration and keeping them out of transition. Dean Wade has been incredible on the less-glamorous end, too.

Karl-Anthony Towns leads the way for New York with nine points. Deuce McBride's seven points are the Knicks' only bench production. Given their inability to get to the rim (5-of-8), low free-throw profile (four attempts) and poor three-point shooting (7-of-22), they're lucky to only be down nine.

LeBron's scoring aggression has waxed and waned to start the season. With Jaylen Brown out, he appears more bent on looking for his own shot. He has 12 points on nine field-goal attempts in the first half.

The Sixers' Offense has Found Its Groove

Philly ranked 29th in points scored per possession entering Friday. That's definitely changing after tonight.

The Sixers' swing game and overall ball movement is popping. Joel Embiid is wearing his facilitator hat, which has helped preserve flow. LeBron has now hit a couple jumpers.

Tyrese Maxey has punctured the Knicks' interior defense on multiple occasions. VJ Edgecombe is 5-of-5 inside the arc. The Sixers' are running when they're not in the half-court. It's a sight to behold.

Score: Sixers 46, Knicks 38 | 2:30 remaining in the second quarter

The Knicks' Offense is in the Mud Right Now

New York is heavily featuring Anunoby on-ball, and it's resulted in a lot of possessions to nowhere. Put another way:

The Knicks' struggles aren't on Anunoby alone. They're now up to seven turnovers. They can't hit threes. And the Sixers have kept them out of transition.

Score: Sixers 37, Knicks 26 | 7:10 remaining in the second quarter

OG will probably think twice before going with the finger roll over the dunk next time.

Philly Leads by 8 Points at the End of the First Quarter

Both the Sixers (3-of-9) and Knicks (3-of-11) are struggling to find their touch from deep. New York has yet to attempt a free throw. Philly has yet to grab an offensive rebound.

Turnovers are a swing factor thus far. The Knicks committed four in the opening frame while the Sixers had none. Philly also got a ton of playmaking from Embiid (three assists).

Score: Sixers 29, Knicks 21 | End of the first quarter

This is an example of the defensive activity from Embiid I just referenced. Just an excellent job by him sliding into the gap on Jalen Brunson's drive without overcommitting.

The 6'4" VJ Edgecombe burying a step-back jumper over the seven-foot Karl-Anthony Towns is a totally normal thing for a sophomore to do. Nothing to see here.

Philly has opened a double-digit lead. The Knicks are once again getting derailed by ball pressure, and Joel Embiid was active on the defensive end before taking a seat.

Score: Sixers 29, Knicks 19 | 46.4 seconds remaining in the first quarter

You love to see it. Unless you're a Knicks fan.

Jalen Brunson Drills One in Tyrese Maxey's Face

Look at the way Jalen Brunson stares down Tyrese Maxey. This is just good ol' fashion supervillain stuff from the reigning Finals MVP.

Score: Sixers 18, Knicks 11 | 4:47 remaining in the first quarter

LeBron entered the game shooting 23.1 percent from beyond the arc on the season. His mid-range touch hasn't been much better. Let's see if hitting an early triple gets him going from the perimeter.

All it took was the Sixers landing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown over the same offseason to weed out stray Knicks fans in these Philly-New York clashes. Reasonable enough.

Anyway, the Sixers hold an early lead, thanks largely to nifty shot-making from LeBron and Tyrese Maxey.

Score: Sixers 14, Knicks 11 | 6:05 remaining in the first quarter

The Sixers will no doubt futz and fiddle with these head-to-heads as the game goes on. During the opening night tilt, Nick Nurse eventually put LeBron James on Karl-Anthony Towns so Joel Embiid could roam.

Score: Sixers 12, Knicks 9 | 7:35 remaining in the first quarter

LeBron is Enjoying His Time with the 76ers

Do we think it's the free helicopter rides or the opportunity to play with Tyrese Maxey?

Mike Brown Addresses Surge of NBA Injuries

Why would he even put this out there?!? Somebody sage the Knicks' locker room and team plane and then jet down to Madison Square Garden and repeat the process.

Nick Nurse Offers High Praise for Tyrese Maxey

On a team so laden with big names, most of whom prefer to operate on-ball, many wondered whether Tyrese Maxey might get lost in Philly's saturated hierarchy.

Like he has on numerous other versions of the Sixers, though, he continues to prove his stardom will scale to any situation. And if there was ever any doubt over who'd be this team's best player, he's put that to bed, too.

The Sixers' Starters Have Yet to Play Together

As expected, Dean Wade is sliding into Philly's starting five alongside Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid. While that's the right call relative to defensive volume the Sixers must paper over without Brown, this particular fivesome has yet to log a single minute together.

The biggest question: Does this group have enough shooting? Brown isn't the most deadeye sniper, but he's shooting well from deep to start the season. Generally speaking, he's also a more willing three-point taker than Wade.

Inserting Anfernee Simons instead was almost assuredly a non-starter. But with LeBron shooting 25 percent on looks away from the rim , the offensive output of this quintet is worth monitoring.

Karl-Anthony Towns is a GO for the Knicks

With the exception of Jose Alvarado (ankle), the Knicks will have their full cast of characters available to open the NBA Cup.

As far as Karl-Anthony Towns' wrist injury goes, Knicks fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Well that, or they should be terrified he's pushing the bill too hard in the good name of defending New York's NBA Cup title.

"Not able to go through shootaround" doesn't sound great knowing how light those tend to be. Here's hoping this is the Sixers operating with an overabundance of caution.

In the meantime, Dean Wade is expected to get the start in Jaylen Brown's place.