76ers Beat Champion Knicks 106-100 in Opener

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 106-100 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at Madison Square Garden on the night New York raised its championship banner and received rings. Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 28 points. Jaylen Brown had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in his first game since the Boston trade. LeBron James had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists on 5-for-13 shooting to start an NBA-record 24th season. Joel Embiid finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Jalen Brunson scored 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting in gold sneakers. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks shot 37 percent overall and 33.3 percent on threes. The 76ers closed the third on an 11-0 run capped by Brown's buzzer-beater three for an 83-76 lead. Maxey's three-point play made it 87-78 early in the fourth. Towns hit a three that cut the deficit to one; Embiid answered with a three. Anfernee Simons made three threes and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope two. Mike Brown said, "All throughout the game, it looked like we were running in mud." Brunson said, "The joy that this city had this summer, we would love to replicate that again." James said, "I liked the way we played… Good win for us."