LeBron James and Jaylen Brown debut as Sixers beat champion Knicks 106-100
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The gist
The revamped Philadelphia 76ers beat the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100 in their season opener.
The rebuilt roster's chemistry and health will decide whether the title push holds.
Background
The Philadelphia 76ers overhauled their roster over roughly four months before the season, adding NBA legend LeBron James and former Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown to a core that already included Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The opener came on ring night at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks were celebrating their first championship in more than 50 years. The Sixers entered the season facing skepticism from people who had seen the ugly side of a bunch of superstars sharing the same court.
How it unfolded
- Oct 19, 2026Liberty Ballers publishes five Sixers predictions for the 2026-27 regular season.
- Oct 20, 2026The Sixers open the season on the Knicks' ring night in New York and win 106-100 at Madison Square Garden.
- Oct 20, 2026Tyrese Maxey scores a team-high 28 points; LeBron James posts 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Jaylen Brown adds 19 points in their Sixers debuts.
- Oct 22, 2026The Sixers host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their home opener at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with James and Brown set for their home debuts.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Inquirer columnist David Murphy wrote that Tyrese Maxey was the star and nobody could really be called second fiddle, with everyone else playing a role.
- Analysts
- PhillyVoice called the Sixers' wire-to-wire outclassing of the Knicks in the second half as impressive an accomplishment as the group could muster in its opening act.
- Caution
- Liberty Ballers staff said the typical circus of a LeBron team is not what will derail this year's Sixers; health, frontcourt depth and three-point shooting are bigger concerns, and a slow start could turn up the heat on coach Nick Nurse's seat.