Sixers spoil Knicks' night, open LeBron James era with 106-100 win

A new era of Sixers basketball began Tuesday night in New York. As the Knicks raised their 2025-26 championship banner, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown were preparing to make their regular-season debuts for Philadelphia.

The Sixers were without key role players Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow but rode a 28-point performance from Tyrese Maxey and stellar team defense to a 106-100 win, spoiling the Knicks' night.

Here's what I took away from the game:

It starts with defense

It wasn't perfect, but the Sixers were largely locked in defensively on opening night.

The most important showing on that end came from Joel Embiid, who looked far more comfortable and invested defensively than he has in years. Blocking shots, hunting for steals, battling for rebound after rebound. This was a version of Embiid thought to be extinct, but as he proved Tuesday night, he's very much still alive.

With Embiid able to roam defensively and looking far more mobile both laterally and end-to-end, his teammates were able to stay in position, secure rebounds and push the ball in transition. VJ Edgecombe stuck with Jalen Brunson, denying him opportunities to find a rhythm, while LeBron and Brown worked the passing lanes and defended stoutly on the perimeter, holding OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to a combined 5-for-20 from the field and 1-for-11 from three.

That's what Nick Nurse is hoping to see on a nightly basis from this team: Get after it defensively and push the ball in transition.

Nurse said multiple times throughout the preseason that he wasn't worried about the offense, instead focusing on getting his players, especially the new faces, comfortable within the defense. It was so important to Nurse that the Sixers spent the first two days of training camp solely building their defense.

“I think you have to [start with defense],” Nurse said during training camp. “There's so much to get through, and there are so many different phases of the game that you have to pick what you want to emphasize and what you want your team to be about.”

Those efforts paid off in their first regular-season matchup. The next challenge is sustaining that intensity from game to game throughout the season.

There was plenty of bulletin-board material for the Sixers in this matchup. It's admittedly easier to rise to this level given the circumstances. Doing so in Sacramento during the holiday season is a bit more difficult, but that's now the standard Philadelphia has set.

MORE: LeBron joins long line of Philly basketball history

Tyrese leads the way offensively

Ahead of the season, Maxey was voted the fastest player with the ball in his hands in a survey of NBA executives. He proved those who voted for him correct, looking like a blur against the Knicks. The Sixers applied substantial pressure by pushing the ball in transition, leading to 24 fast-break points.

The Sixers are clearly still figuring out their half-court offense, particularly with their starting five. Ideally, LeBron — who racked up an impressive seven assists to just one turnover — is orchestrating the offense in the half-court, but they're still working to build chemistry; Philadelphia often deferred to what was comfortable against the Knicks: working Embiid into the screen game.

That allowed Maxey to utilize his speed to create opportunities, but the Sixers can't realistically rely on him to attack the rim relentlessly while playing 40-plus minutes every night.

Embiid played well offensively as a complementary piece to Maxey, but the Sixers struggled with the ball in his hands, in part because of his slow decision-making and the team's general lack of chemistry. Still, as the game progressed and the Knicks adjusted their defensive focus toward Maxey, Embiid was able to capitalize, finding Edgecombe for one scoring opportunity from the field and another that sent him to the free-throw line.

Final thoughts

• The team's impressive third-quarter performance was key to this win. Outscoring the Knicks 29-18, the Sixers turned the tide and held their ground in the fourth. Last season, Philadelphia was outscored in the third quarter 49 times, one of the worst marks in the league. The Sixers were among the top 10 teams in fourth-quarter scoring margin, but they spent far too much time digging themselves out of holes after halftime. Tuesday was a welcome change of pace.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled to find his shot but provided some quality defensive minutes, despite looking a bit stiff. The Sixers sorely needed that with Dean Wade out with an ankle injury. Caldwell-Pope began to find his shot in the second half, but several of his first-half looks were quality; they simply didn't fall.
• Anfernee Simons is doing Anfernee Simons stuff, getting hot and hitting threes. He doesn't provide much else at a plus level, but it's a skill the Sixers sorely need, and it was a key part of their successful third quarter.

Up next for the Sixers

The Sixers are set for their home opener Thursday, Oct. 22, when James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to Philadelphia. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

MORE: Latest Sixers news, analysis and more

Follow Philly Sports Network on Twitter for the latest in Philly sports.

Follow Zach on Twitter: @CiavoNBA for Sixers news, analysis and coverage.