The 76ers had a lot to sort out on opening night, and they still walked out of Madison Square Garden with the kind of win their fans have been waiting to celebrate. In a 106-100 road victory over the defending NBA champions, Philadelphia got the last laugh after last season’s playoff pain against New York and did it on the Knicks’ ring night.
It wasn’t perfect, and the box score made sure of that. The Sixers were beaten on the glass 53 rebounds to 0, a glaring issue that will have to get cleaned up as this roster settles in.
That’s one of several things Philadelphia still needs to iron out as Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe continue building chemistry with newcomers LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. But those are the kinds of problems a team would rather face after a win like this than in the middle of a loss.
Maxey drove the night with 28 points, three steals and three blocks. Brown followed with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and his game-high plus-17 showed how much he helped steady things.
James chipped in 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while settling into the secondary scoring role he often filled last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Embiid didn’t shoot well, but he still mattered in a big way, finishing with 11 boards, three blocks and two steals while making life difficult in the paint.
For Philadelphia fans, though, the result meant more than just a clean start. The memories of getting swept by the Knicks after upsetting the Boston Celtics in the 2026 NBA playoffs were still fresh, and this felt like a sharp reply on a stage that mattered. The reaction online made that part obvious.
“This can't be right. I was told this wouldn't work.
There's only one ball. They lost a preseason game to the Celtics.
Too much ego. The Knicks would win in a blowout.
The Sixers social media is lying, I guess,” @_lukeoutbelow quipped.
“Love wrecking the Knicks,” Mike P celebrated. “Take that Spike Lee.
Lol,” @cobra640 commented. “That was the best basketball I’ve ever watched as a sixers fan,” @FoxtrotS60283 remarked.
“Hustle was amazing and the depth was finally {visible} for the first time in my 24 years of life. Thank you Bron!”
There’s still work ahead for the Sixers, especially with the rebounding concerns and big-man depth issues that surfaced right away. Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow also remain inactive.
Still, for one night, Philadelphia got to enjoy a statement win in a building where the Knicks had just raised a championship banner for the first time in 53 years. And for a fan base that has heard plenty of doubt, that was enough to fuel a pretty happy victory lap.
In Other News...
Tyrese Maxey Just Challenged A Stephen A. Smith Sixers Story
Tyrese Maxey pushed back hard on a story that had tied him to the frustration around the 2023 playoffs, flatly denying Stephen A. Smiths claim that he showed up at Doc Rivers home upset over James Hardens effort. Maxey said he has never even been to Rivers house, cutting straight through a rumor that had lingered around one of the more uneasy stretches of the recent Sixers era.
The denial adds another layer to a storyline that has refused to fade, especially with Maxey and Harden already sharing a tense moment on the floor during a recent game Philadelphia won after digging out of a big deficit. For the Sixers, it is another reminder that the Harden chapter still has loose ends, and that even a simple postgame exchange can get folded into the larger history of that postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Get A Huge Chance Against A Very Different Bucks Team
Milwaukee looks nothing like the team Philadelphia has spent years game-planning for, and that makes this matchup feel more open-ended than usual. The Bucks have turned over the core of their roster, sending Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami while folding four former Heat players into the rotation, and the early returns have been unmistakable. Through two games, those newcomers have accounted for more than half of Milwaukees scoring, but the overall picture has been shaky on the defensive end.
That is where the Sixers can see an opening. Philadelphia has been leaning on strong second-half play and has been winning the paint battle in recent games, two traits that tend to travel when the offense gets tight. The challenge now is whether the Bucks new-look group can stabilize quickly enough to make this a true test, or whether the Sixers can keep pressing an opponent still trying to find its footing on both sides of the floor. [Read more 🡒]
VJ Edgecombe Is Already Feeling Philadelphias New Reality
VJ Edgecombe is learning quickly what it means to play on a team with championship expectations. Through the first two games of the season, his scoring and shot attempts have dipped from what he saw as a rookie, and the reason is pretty clear: with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown now in the mix, the offense has different priorities and different pecking order. For a young player still building his place, that means less room to hunt his own looks and more pressure to make an impact in other ways.
Edgecombe did just that in the 76ers comeback win over the Cavaliers, helping with defense and the little things that can swing a game when shots are harder to come by. It is an adjustment, but also a useful one for a player trying to grow inside a group that is focused on bigger goals than individual numbers. For Philadelphia, the early read on Edgecombe is less about how often he scores and more about how well he fits a roster chasing a title. [Read more 🡒]