NEW YORK (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers sent a message on opening night that they would be an NBA title contender to the New York Knicks after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, rallying to a 106-100 victory Tuesday.
Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game since being acquired from Boston. James began his NBA-record 24th season finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
The 76ers got three 3-pointers from Anfernee Simons and two from newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as the reserves took advantage of the open looks they got when the Knicks were caught by focusing too much on the bigger names.
Jalen Brunson scored 21 points, but the NBA Finals MVP shot just 6 of 19 from the field.
Brunson told fans at Madison Square Garden during a pregame ceremony when the Knicks lifted their NBA Championship Banner and received their rings that said: “The joy this city had this summer, we would like to replicate again. »
Maybe they can, but they’ll have to play a lot better than Tuesday with a 37% shooting rate overall and 33.3% from 3. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The Knicks dominated the 76ers in a second-round sweep, beginning their 13-game winning streak as part of a 16-3 run with the highest point differential in NBA playoff history.
Philadelphia then traded for Brown and signed James after the NBA’s career scoring leader decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, giving the 76ers the potential to become one of the league’s best teams.
They certainly didn’t have a smooth start to the match, but they played better as the match progressed. The Sixers closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run, capped by Brown’s second straight three-pointer that came at the buzzer and gave Philadelphia an 83-76 lead.
Maxey’s three-point play early in the fourth made it 87-78. The Knicks cut it to 96-95 when Towns made a 3-pointer, but Joel Embiid responded with one and the Sixers stayed in the lead.
Embiid finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Brunson, wearing gold sneakers for the occasion, couldn’t help the Knicks recover by hitting the kind of big shots he did when they repeatedly came back to beat San Antonio in five games for their first championship since 1973.
The festive pregame party gave way to a first half filled with long streaks of fouls and missed shots, leaving little reason for the cheers to continue. The Knicks took the lead by 10 with a good burst, but they were down to 58-54 at halftime.
To be continued
76ers: Host Cleveland on Thursday night.
Knicks: Visit Boston Friday night.
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