The 76ers open the 2026-27 season with a tough assignment right out of the gate: a road date with the defending-champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. For Philadelphia, this isn’t just a season opener. It’s an early measuring stick.
If the Sixers are going to walk out of New York with a win, a few individual battles figure to matter a whole lot. The first one is the obvious headliner: Jalen Brunson against Tyrese Maxey.
Brunson enters as the reigning NBA Finals MVP, while Maxey has carved out his spot as one of the league’s top scorers and guards. Their matchup should shape the whole night.
The edge has gone Brunson’s way more often than not, too. He owns an 18-8 record against Maxey in games they’ve shared the floor, including an 8-2 mark in the postseason.
New York also swept Philadelphia in four games in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
That history is there, but so is a fresh start. Maxey gets the first shot at flipping the script in the ’26-27 opener.
The frontcourt duel between Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns brings its own baggage. Their rivalry goes back a decade, and the numbers reflect just how tightly those games have been contested. Embiid has a narrow 9-8 edge in their 17 regular-season meetings, though Towns took all three postseason games between them.
Both big men have been in the spotlight entering this season. Embiid has drawn attention for being healthy and in excellent shape, while Towns has been vocal about his frustration with his contract situation in New York. Even after helping the Knicks win their first title in 50 years last season, he was unable to reach an extension with the team over the offseason.
That matchup could tilt the night in either direction. If Embiid gets going early and forces Towns into foul trouble, Philadelphia can put real pressure on New York. If Towns stretches the floor with perimeter shooting and pulls Embiid away from the rim, it could create more room for Brunson and the rest of the Knicks to operate.
There’s another angle to watch, too: the benches. Philadelphia’s starting five has gotten plenty of attention, but the team also brought in a revamped second unit over the offseason. Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Labaron Philon Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are all new faces for the Sixers.
That group will matter if Philadelphia wants to reach its ceiling, and Tuesday offers an immediate chance to see how it holds up. New York’s bench is largely the same as last season, with Andre Drummond stepping in as the backup center behind Towns in place of Mitchell Robinson. Because of that continuity, there’s a fairly clear baseline for what the Knicks can bring.
When this one is over, bench points could be one of the more revealing numbers on the board. That’s where Philadelphia’s new reserves will get their first real test against a team that already knows exactly who it is.
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Brown pointed to Wisemans youth, athleticism and fit in the big man rotation, a clue that New York wanted another body with size in a spot where depth can disappear quickly over a long season. Bruce Browns versatility and track record still made him a meaningful option, but the Knicks ultimately chose positional balance and frontcourt insurance, leaving one final roster spot to reflect a bigger priority than simply keeping a proven veteran on hand. [Read more 🡒]