76ers 106–100 Knicks: Maxey and Philadelphia spoil New York’s banner night

Updated 21 October 2026: Philadelphia beat New York 106–100 at Madison Square Garden in the 2026–27 NBA opener. This article was first published on 7 September as a preseason preview; its low-confidence Knicks prediction is preserved below, alongside what the result actually showed. The NBA game centre lists the final score, while the league's opening-night report supplies the player and game context.

Maxey drove the finish, but Philadelphia had more than one answer

Tyrese Maxey's 28 points led the 76ers, who took control late on the Knicks' championship-banner night. The significance is not that a new collection of names can win one October game. It is that Philadelphia's offence had several ways to continue a possession after the obvious first action was crowded. Jaylen Brown contributed 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. LeBron James added 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Joel Embiid had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Those figures describe shared creation rather than Maxey carrying every attacking decision alone.

At 5:36 of the fourth quarter, Philadelphia led 96–92; with 1:52 left it led 104–98. Those are snapshots, not a claim that the entire quarter was comfortable. They do show that the Sixers found enough late scoring to protect their advantage when the Knicks had time to answer. Brown's and James's passing, Embiid's interior presence and Maxey's scoring gave New York different decisions to make on consecutive trips. The league report characterised the group's first game together as showing chemistry. The stronger editorial conclusion is narrower: the opener offered evidence of multiple useful release valves, not proof that the arrangement will work every night.

The Knicks' second option was the pregame question

Our September preview asked what New York could create once a defence interrupted its preferred start. The result made that question more pointed, although it did not answer it for an entire season. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 21 points but shot 6-for-19. Karl-Anthony Towns gave them 19 points and 12 rebounds and supplied an important fourth-quarter stretch. Yet Mikal Bridges finished with four points and OG Anunoby with 10. Philadelphia did not have to assume that every secondary touch would become a clean shot or a productive next pass.

This should not be reduced to a verdict on Brunson. A primary creator can force attention and still need the next player to preserve the advantage. Towns's scoring gave the Knicks a route back; the combined support around that did not produce enough to overturn the six-point final margin. The Knicks' banner ceremony and the first game of a long season also make sweeping claims about their title defence premature. Philadelphia's defence deserves credit for the late separation, but one result cannot establish a permanent offensive weakness in New York.

What our original call got wrong

On 7 September, before final rotations and availability, we wrote: “We lean toward New York in the opener, with low confidence at this distance from tip-off. The championship supplies a reasonable starting case for their collective execution, not immunity from roster or form changes. We would revise the call if their supporting possessions repeatedly end in hesitation or if Philadelphia can force the ball away without conceding a clean second option.” That was a prediction, not a result; Philadelphia's 106–100 win overturned it. The original analytical test remains useful, but its first result favoured the Sixers.

The reader's immediate answer is clear: Philadelphia won because it combined Maxey's 28 with several other productive creators and enough late-game execution, while New York did not get comparable production across its supporting attack. The counterpoint is equally important. Brown, James and Embiid must sustain their roles over a schedule, and the Knicks can adjust the spacing and timing behind Brunson. The opener is an early piece of evidence, not a forecast. For the verified score, timing and venue, see our linked match page; for continuing coverage, see the basketball desk.

Cover photograph: Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash, illustrative basketball imagery; not a photograph of the 20 October game.