NBA
Maxey Scores 28 As 76ers Beat Knicks 106-100 in Season Opener
Philadelphia erased a four-point halftime deficit with a 29-18 third quarter at Madison Square Garden.
Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Philadelphia closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run as the 76ers beat the New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, October 20, opening their season with a road victory.
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points and made consecutive 3-pointers to finish that run, turning a four-point deficit into an 83-76 lead. New York pulled within two points or fewer in the fourth quarter, but Philadelphia answered with baskets from Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe before Maxey’s late steal and dunk extended the advantage.
Quarter scoring
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers | 23 | 31 | 29 | 23 | 106 |
| New York Knicks | 25 | 33 | 18 | 24 | 100 |
James credits defense; Brown weighs Drummond’s minutes
After his first regular-season game with Philadelphia, James praised the team’s defensive performance in an on-court postgame interview with NBC’s Zora Stephenson. “I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively. Didn’t shoot the ball well, but we have capable shooters. We know that,” James said, according to NBC Sports’ report.
Knicks coach Mike Brown praised Drummond’s first-half energy but said he probably had played the center too long. Brown said Drummond and New York’s starters appeared to run out of energy after halftime, according to SNY’s postgame report. “I have to keep getting to know him to see where the minutes may lie for him to be effective for us,” Brown said.
An 11-0 finish changes the third quarter
New York led 25-23 after the first quarter and 58-54 at halftime. The Knicks were still ahead 76-72 after Jalen Brunson’s jumper with three minutes left in the third, but they did not score again in the period.
Maxey started Philadelphia’s closing run with a layup off an Embiid assist at 2:44. Anfernee Simons then put the 76ers ahead 77-76 with a 3-pointer at 1:22, his third make from beyond the arc in the quarter. Brown followed with 3-pointers at 48.9 seconds and the buzzer, assisted by Maxey and LeBron James, respectively.
Simons scored nine of his 13 points in the third quarter, when Philadelphia outscored New York 29-18. Brown’s two closing shots accounted for his only made 3-pointers of the game. The 76ers finished with a 52-42 second-half advantage.
Karl-Anthony Towns kept the Knicks close in the fourth. His 3-pointer with 4:37 remaining cut the deficit to 96-95. Embiid answered from beyond the arc at 3:31, and another Towns 3-pointer brought New York within 100-98 at 2:40.
Embiid found Edgecombe for a dunk with 2:15 left. Maxey then intercepted an OG Anunoby pass at 1:55 and scored on a running dunk three seconds later, giving Philadelphia a 104-98 lead. Brunson’s layup at 41.3 seconds trimmed the margin to four before James made two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining.
| Period / time | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd / 3:00 | Brunson jumper | 72-76 |
| 3rd / 2:44 | Maxey layup; Embiid assist | 74-76 |
| 3rd / 1:22 | Simons 3-pointer; Brown assist | 77-76 |
| 3rd / 0:48.9 | Brown 3-pointer; Maxey assist | 80-76 |
| 3rd / 0:00 | Brown 3-pointer; James assist | 83-76 |
| 4th / 4:37 | Towns 3-pointer | 96-95 |
| 4th / 3:31 | Embiid 3-pointer; Brown assist | 99-95 |
| 4th / 2:40 | Towns 3-pointer | 100-98 |
| 4th / 2:15 | Edgecombe dunk; Embiid assist | 102-98 |
| 4th / 1:52 | Maxey dunk following his steal | 104-98 |
| 4th / 0:41.3 | Brunson layup | 104-100 |
| 4th / 0:07.7 | James makes two free throws | 106-100 |
Philadelphia’s bench shooting and closing possessions
Philadelphia used nine players, with seven logging at least 25:16. Maxey played a team-high 39:34 and added five assists, three steals and three blocks. Brown had eight rebounds and six assists, James finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Embiid supplied 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supplied all 23 of Philadelphia’s bench points. Caldwell-Pope scored 10 in 26:07, including fourth-quarter 3-pointers at 7:10 and 6:04 off assists from James and Maxey. Those baskets preceded Embiid’s return for James at 5:22. James returned for Caldwell-Pope at 3:27, joining Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown and Embiid for the closing stretch.
New York used 10 players and received 32 bench points. Andre Drummond led that group with 12 points and 14 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, in 24:27. The Knicks collected 14 offensive rebounds to Philadelphia’s six and led 28-7 in second-chance points. Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Brunson’s 21 points led New York.
Philadelphia countered that extra-possession advantage with 24 fast-break points to New York’s 16 and 22 points off turnovers to the Knicks’ 18. Its finishing possessions included Embiid creating Edgecombe’s dunk and Maxey converting his own steal. These recorded plays and individual minutes describe the rotation; they do not establish a measured five-player lineup rating.
Team comparison
| Measure | Philadelphia | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 37-89 (41.6%) | 35-94 (37.2%) |
| 3-pointers | 11-40 (27.5%) | 11-33 (33.3%) |
| Free throws | 21-27 (77.8%) | 19-27 (70.4%) |
| Offensive rebounds | 6 | 14 |
| Defensive rebounds | 39 | 39 |
| Player rebounds | 45 | 53 |
| Assists | 28 | 21 |
| Steals | 8 | 6 |
| Blocks | 10 | 8 |
| Player turnovers | 10 | 14 |
| Personal fouls | 23 | 22 |
| Team turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Total turnovers | 12 | 15 |
| Points off turnovers | 22 | 18 |
| Fast-break points | 24 | 16 |
| Points in the paint | 40 | 44 |
| Second-chance points | 7 | 28 |
| Bench points | 23 | 32 |
| Largest lead | 9 | 10 |
| Technical fouls | 1 | 0 |
| Flagrant fouls | 0 | 0 |
Both teams made 11 3-pointers and attempted 27 free throws. Philadelphia made two more field goals overall and two more free throws, shooting 41.6% from the field against New York’s 37.2%. The Knicks’ 53-45 advantage in player rebounds included equal totals of 39 defensive rebounds.
Complete player statistics
| Player | Role | MIN | PTS | FG | 3P | FT | ORB | DRB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Brown | S | 34:54 | 19 | 7-14 (50.0%) | 2-4 (50.0%) | 3-4 (75.0%) | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +17 |
| LeBron James | S | 33:46 | 14 | 5-13 (38.5%) | 0-3 (0.0%) | 4-6 (66.7%) | 1 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -2 |
| Joel Embiid | S | 33:26 | 13 | 4-15 (26.7%) | 2-7 (28.6%) | 3-4 (75.0%) | 2 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | +13 |
| VJ Edgecombe | S | 34:45 | 9 | 4-10 (40.0%) | 0-3 (0.0%) | 1-2 (50.0%) | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | +0 |
| Tyrese Maxey | S | 39:34 | 28 | 9-19 (47.4%) | 2-9 (22.2%) | 8-9 (88.9%) | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | +11 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | B | 26:07 | 10 | 3-8 (37.5%) | 2-6 (33.3%) | 2-2 (100.0%) | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +3 |
| Anfernee Simons | B | 25:16 | 13 | 5-10 (50.0%) | 3-8 (37.5%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 |
| Adem Bona | B | 9:36 | 0 | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| Jabari Walker | B | 2:37 | 0 | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 |
| Team total | 240:00 | 106 | 37-89 (41.6%) | 11-40 (27.5%) | 21-27 (77.8%) | 6 | 39 | 45 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 23 | +6 |
| Player | Official status |
|---|---|
| Dominick Barlow | Inactive – Injury/Illness |
| Justin Edwards | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Tacko Fall | Inactive – Injury/Illness |
| Ariel Hukporti | Inactive – Injury/Illness |
| Caleb Love | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Labaron Philon | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Rayan Rupert | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Dean Wade | Inactive – Injury/Illness |
| Player | Role | MIN | PTS | FG | 3P | FT | ORB | DRB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG Anunoby | S | 31:35 | 10 | 3-12 (25.0%) | 1-9 (11.1%) | 3-3 (100.0%) | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -20 |
| Josh Hart | S | 30:16 | 14 | 5-10 (50.0%) | 2-5 (40.0%) | 2-3 (66.7%) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | S | 23:33 | 19 | 6-9 (66.7%) | 3-4 (75.0%) | 4-7 (57.1%) | 3 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Mikal Bridges | S | 33:03 | 4 | 2-8 (25.0%) | 0-2 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -15 |
| Jalen Brunson | S | 34:06 | 21 | 6-19 (31.6%) | 1-3 (33.3%) | 8-8 (100.0%) | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -11 |
| Andre Drummond | B | 24:27 | 12 | 5-13 (38.5%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 2-4 (50.0%) | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -6 |
| Landry Shamet | B | 24:32 | 5 | 2-7 (28.6%) | 1-4 (25.0%) | 0-2 (0.0%) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +11 |
| Miles McBride | B | 13:30 | 3 | 1-5 (20.0%) | 1-3 (33.3%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -4 |
| Jose Alvarado | B | 16:30 | 8 | 3-7 (42.9%) | 2-3 (66.7%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | +6 |
| Jordan Clarkson | B | 8:29 | 4 | 2-4 (50.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +8 |
| Team total | 240:00 | 100 | 35-94 (37.2%) | 11-33 (33.3%) | 19-27 (70.4%) | 14 | 39 | 53 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 22 | -6 |
| Player | Official status |
|---|---|
| Jaden Akins | Inactive – G League – Two-Way |
| Pacôme Dadiet | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Mohamed Diawara | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Tyler Kolek | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | DNP – Coach's Decision |
| Tyler Nickel | Inactive – G League – Two-Way |
| James Wiseman | DNP – Coach's Decision |
What comes next
Philadelphia, 1-0, hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday, October 22, at 5 p.m. MDT. New York, 0-1, visits the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Friday, October 23, at 5 p.m. MDT.
Official video and source access
- NBA: Brown’s third-quarter buzzer 3-pointer
- NBA: James finishes an alley-oop
- NBA: Maxey’s late steal and dunk
- NBA: fourth-quarter highlights
