The Philadelphia 76ers secured a 106-100 statement win over the reigning NBA champions, the New York Knicks, in LeBron James’ debut with the Sixers franchise.
Tyrese Maxey led the way for Philly with 28 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks.
Newcomer Jaylen Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while James recorded 14 points, nine boards and seven dimes.
Philadelphia used a strong 29-18 third quarter to turn the game around after trailing by as many as 10 points in the second quarter.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Sure enough, the game produced plenty of highlights, including an epic alley-oop play between Brown and James early in the third quarter. After Brown stole the ball off a bad pass from Karl-Anthony Towns, he quickly sent it into the air for a wide-open James to catch it and throw it down with force.
The Sixers even shared a slow-motion video of the play to highlight the connection that Brown and James showed during that sequence.
Brown is clearly adjusting well to his new team after spending the past 10 years with the Boston Celtics. As for James, the 41-year-old forward showed once again that he can still explode and make big-time plays even this late in his career.
The Sixers still have plenty to work on to become legitimate title contenders. They shot rather poorly (11-of-40) from 3-point range, while their bench unit was outscored by the Knicks’ second unit 32-23.
Overall, though, it was a good start for a Sixers team that entered the season with massive expectations.
